By Spy Uganda
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has continued easing the Coronavirus lockdown he declared upon Uganda in March this year, following the outbreak of the pandemic.
During his 16th National Address on Coronavirus, President Museveni revealed that as a result of the concerted efforts of government and all Ugandans, the country has managed to win the 95-day battle against COVID-19.
As a result of the above, he announced that after consultation with scientists, they had come with guidelines that would help the country transit from the lockdown back to normal life.
Noting that Uganda is at Phase 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Museveni announced the following directives going forward:
Curfew time will stay from 7:00Pm to 6:30Am. The president said that curfew is both a security and health intervention to prevent people from socializing in the night or turning their homes into private bars. He also noted that curfew is aimed at preventing some elements from committing criminal activities at night.
He said that “Ugandans should know that if the disease escalates it may call for resumption of the restrictions to contain the disease spread and reduce deaths among the population.
Several countries have reinstated restrictions due to poor compliance and increasing COVID-19 infections, a state that Ugandans should avoid.”
Commenting about people complaining that the COVID-19 lockdown has adversely affected certain sectors of the economy and business at large, Museveni said that “With discipline, you can have both – wealth and life if you do what is required.
We must eliminate the potential for death. The guiding logic is not convenience wealth or business. It is life. We must protect health first and do other things later. Uganda’s death curve in relation to #COVID19UG is still at zero so far. I congratulate the health workers for the job well-done.”
Noting that Uganda currently has on 774 COVID-19 cases with 631 total recoveries, Museveni revealed that the country is on the course to defeating the pandemic but that certain restrictions had to be cautiously lifted and some places that were closed as a result of the lockdown shall remain closed as the government monitors the situation in the country.
“We wear face Masks because breath contains microscopic droplets that could carry the virus, so wearing them decreases the risks of #COVID19 spread from person to person,” Museveni observed.
“Therefore, the only safe activities that can be re-opened now are the public passenger transport and private cars in some of the 33 border districts that do not have the coronavirus. We can also increase the number of passengers in private cars from three to four, provided they all wear face masks,” Museveni said.
“Places of worship and arcades remain closed while Boda-bodas should continue only transporting goods since they can deeply reach in every home which can spread the virus,” he added.
The President lifted a ban on Public Transport and movement of private vehicles in some border districts which include; Amudat, Kabale, Kisoro, Ntoroko, Kibale, Kalangala, Rukiga, Rubirizi,Isingiro, Maracha, Bukwo, Mayuge, Hoima, Kikuube, Hoima, Buvuma,Ntungamo and Yumbe.
But he said that the restrictions in some border districts which have shown cases of cluster infections would remain in place as government monitors the situation in those districts. They include; Rakai, Kyotera, Gulu, Moyo, Arua,Adjumani, Zombo, Busia, Nebbi, Amuru and Buikwe.
He noted however that schools, churches and mosques will remain closed for the time being and that the National Task Force will engage all religious leaders to find a way forward
About reopening schools, Museveni said that all learners and the school community shall have to be patient for some time because it is so risky to reopen the schools. He however assured that nation that the government would provide radios and TV sets at village levels through which students will study, on top of providing them with study materials.
Although he had earlier on banned the repatriation of bodies to Uganda when he announced the lockdown in March this year, during his address on Monday night, the President lifted this restriction after noting that scientists had ably advised him that if handled well, bodies would not spread COVID-19 when repatriated.
He insisted however that any repatriated body has to have a COVID-19 certificate, passports, postmortem report and its next of kin must acquire the necessary authorization from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He cautioned that the body must be wrapped in waterproof bags and placed in a sealed coffin or box and that all accompanying relatives must undergo mandatory quarantine of 14 days on arrival to Uganda.
But Museveni reiterated his directives of suspending passenger flights at Entebbe Airport as a way of preventing the importation of COVID-19 cases into the country.
Museveni also commented about the 2021 Scientific elections that the Electoral Commission is organizing say; “The Independent Electoral Commission, after consulting scientists, proposed a “scientific” electoral process. Ugandans should support this exercise.
About people who were pushed out of business as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, the President said that “The categories of our people that are affected by the lockdown, such as the salon operators, schools should be registered so that we can see how to get them, not free money, but cheap capital when their activities resume. The Gender and Education ministries will handle that.”
He concluded by warning that “The coronavirus has no legs. It is us that spread it. We have done well so far. Let us not relent when we have succeeded so far.”
Key Take-Aways From Tonight’s 16th Presidential Address On Covid-19:
Noting that Uganda is at Phase Three of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the following are key measures that have been taken/enforced:
- Curfew time will stay from 7pm to 6.30am. The measure is both a security and health intervention.
- Private vehicles can now carry four, up from three passengers, including the driver. They should observe SOPs like wearing masks.
- Boda bodas. Despite innovations like barriers between rider and passenger, they remain a high risk carrier. Bodas will stay carrying cargo, not passengers.
- Places of worship will stay closed. They’d pose a difficulty in contact tracing and are a high risk contamination area.
- Arcades will stay closed. However, relevant agencies will work with arcade owners to pilot prevention procedures to inform future relaxation.
- Mobile markets, just like the arcades, will stay closed. They are high risk areas, present difficulty in contact tracing, etc.
- Hawkers(ing), vendors should be discouraged. They get in contact with many people, can’t be traced etc. They should be targeted with information.
- Repatriation of bodies for burial in Uganda. They can be repatriated but with strict SOPs from health and foreign affairs ministries. E.g. Body must be wrapped in a waterproof body bag, placed in a zinc lined coffin and an outer metal or wooden box.
- Salons will stay closed. Activities here involve close contact between/among people. Contact tracing would be difficult too.
- Travel in and out of Uganda for medical reasons should be barred, in principle. However, Ministry of Health and other agencies can handle case by case.
- Opening border districts. More mapping has been to determine which border districts should be opened and which stay locked.
Those that will stay locked are:
a. Rakai, Kyotera, Amuru, Buikwe, Gulu, Arua, Adjumani, Moyo, and Nebbi (clusters of infections under investigation)
b. Zombo, Adjumani and Arua (districts with refugees, need more testing)
c. Busia and Bulisa (districts with major border/water points).
The rest of the border districts can be opened but with continued vigilance. They are: Amudat, Bududa, Bukwo, Bundibugyo, Buvuma, Hoima, Isingiro, Kaabong, Kabale, Kalangala, Kanungu, Kasese, Kikuube, Kisoro, Kitgum, Koboko, Kween, Lamwo, Maracha, Mayuge, Moroto, Namayingo, Namisindwa, Ntoroko, Ntungamo, Pakwach, Rubanda, Rubirizi, Rukiga, Rukungiri, Sironko, and Yumbe.
- Education institutions will stay closed. Its still too risky to open schools. In the meantime, government will launch a big long-distance education programme through radios. Each homestead will get a radio set.
- The Independent Electoral Commission, after consulting scientists, has proposed a “scientific” electoral process. Ugandans should support this exercise.
- Ministries of Education and Gender should register people affected by the lockdown, such as the salon operators, private universities, private secondary schools, private primary schools, etc., so that they can be helped, not with free money, but cheap capital when their activities resume or even help them to do other activities.
