UCC directs broadcasters to air free coronavirus prevention messages

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Amidst global scare of coronavirus, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has directed all broadcasters to give daily updates and prevention messages about the disease.

In a letter to broadcasters on Wednesday, the Commission’s Acting Executive Director Irene Kaggwa Sewankambo said that the announcements should be aired during prime time and should only be halted when the government declares that the virus is no longer a threat to Uganda.

The new directive to air adverts comes with no cost attached as the regulator says stations will air them free of charge.

This comes after government urged people travelling from countries that have registered cases of the acute respiratory illness that started in China in 2019 to stay away from the country.

According to a situational report released on Tuesday by the World Health Organization, eight new countries including Andorra, Jordan, Latvia, Morocco, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and Tunisia had registered a positive case in just a day.

Globally, there were 90, 870 confirmed cases, whereby 10,566 were from outside China since a total of 72 countries have recorded the disease.

Giving an update about the virus preparedness in the country, the State Minister of Health in charge of Primary Health Care Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu said the country was banning among others public meetings, hugs and handshakes in addition to encouraging people to maintain proper hand hygiene.

While there’s no one currently isolated for showing flu and cough like symptoms in Uganda, they say they are on high alert as more than 10 countries in Africa have so far recorded a positive case.

On Monday the four suspected cases that had been in a government-run isolation centre tested negative although over 600 other people who have travelled to affected countries continue being isolated at their places of residence until deemed okay after two weeks.

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