By Spy Uganda
Kampala: The Minister for Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has cautioned Ugandans who are not adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) especially wearing face masks in public places despite rising cases of coronavirus.
Aceng revealed that the government has announced a two-month jail sentence for anyone who flouts COVID-19 SOPs adding that the ministry had issued new statutory Instruments on public health rules to be used to control the spread of COVID-19.
Whoever is found breaking the new rules according to Dr Aceng, is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment not exceeding two months.
While addressing the press on the status of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country on Friday evening, Dr Aceng said the new statutory rules will be in place for the period of the lockdown.
“A person who operates a place or who conducts any activity or event specified in subrule (1) commits an offense and is liable, on conviction, to imprisonment not exceeding two months,” Aceng warned.
Activities marked subrule (1) according to Dr Aceng include operating bars, nightclubs, discotheques and cinema halls, prayers in open and closed spaces, seminars, workshops, conferences and cultural related meetings, concerts, gym and massage parlours and pre-primary schools.
Other activities include those that were suspended by the president such as schools, house parties, kikuubo, trading nonfood items, and operating in shopping malls.
Some of the new rules however do not affect motorists who are under the essential services, including media and health workers.
She noted that the Delta variant initially identified in India is already in the country as per the analysis they made from Covid samples collected from Kampala and Wakiso.
Dr Aceng urged Private health facilities to adhere to COVID-19 treatment guidelines provided by the ministry to prevent deaths and spread.
To date, Uganda has vaccinated over 800,000 people and Aceng said that there’s no evidence to support the allegations that fully vaccinated people have acquired severe infection and died in Uganda.
