UGANDA'S CORONA VIRUS UPDATE

• Uganda has tested about 38,845 people for corona virus and so far only 89 have tested positive with 52 recoveries

• Some businesses open after a directive from the president during the nation address

• The neighboring countries remain to be a threat to the Ugandan community due to the increased cases in those countries

• Public transport, private cars, churches, mosques and schools to remain closed after lifting the lock down for more 14 days

•  Railways to be renovated to transport cargo instead of trucks

 

Courtesy of NTV

Towards the end of the 21 days’ lock down, the president was to address the nation on the way forward. Before the presidential nation address on Tuesday 4^th of May, Ugandans were eagerly waiting to hear what the president had to say about the lock down but in the end their hopes were grounded after extending the lock down for 14 days.

Uganda is among the countries that have taken the Covid-19 fight serious by taking stringent measures which include locking down, curfew, quarantining suspected victims and encouraging the public to keep a distance between themselves, avoid touching soft parts like the nose, mouth and the eyes as well as use sanitizers and soap to wash their hands regularly.

It’s now 44 days since the first corona virus case was announced in March and only 89 cases have been reported with 52 recoveries. This is so far a big achievement for Uganda and the president attributed it to the measures that were put in place to fight the disease that has no cure yet. Basing on this, the president eased some measures by allowing some businesses to open. Among these are factories, hardware shops, warehouses and motor garages. The president directed the factory owners to hire buses to transport their employees to work and back home while those who can were urged to use bikes or walk to work if possible.

The lock down was also extended for 14 days as the situation is still monitored and after the 14 days we will have a clear view on the next move, said the president. All the other measures put in place are to remain in place and fully operational.

Since many truck drivers from neighboring countries have tested positive for the disease, the president is thinking of renovating the old railways and shift cargo transport to trains. This is because of the many advantages of using railway like the cost of transporting 1 tonne from Mombasa to Kampala on truck is $13 cents while for railway it only costs $7 cents. As a result, the threat of truck drivers will be history.

Regarding schools, universities and other institutions of learning, the president said it’s not the right time and it would be suicidal to open schools at the moment due to the unpredictability of safety at school. This is because some schools have both day and boarding students. This would be a quick way to transmit the virus during the process of coming and going back to school. He said it would be sending the children back to school to get sick.

The president said the money from donations has reached 21 billion Ugx and he pledged that it will be put to a significant use to do something that will last for a long time. Though more donations are still coming in from several volunteers, companies and organisations.