Gov’t Threatens to Reinstate Lockdown

The Minister of ICT and National Guidance Judith Nabakooba has said that Government has noted with concern the “extremely dangerous signs of complacency and indiscipline” that have started to emerge with regard to the existing guidelines on COVID-19 and may in turn consider re-imposing lockdown.

Just after partly opening and easing lockdown restrictions, the country has started to record an increase in community infections.

Addressing reporters in Kampala on Sunday, the ICT Minister Judith Nabakooba said that the Ministry of Health has told Government that the clusters of community infections that have emerged are a bigger threat than that of truckers.

Nabakooba highlighted what she called dangerous practices such as bodabodas carrying passengers, people not wearing masks, failure to observe social distancing among others and noted that Government may consider reinstating the lockdown.

“I want to warn members of the public that unless we change and fully adopt the existing guidance on prevention of COVID-19, Government may consider imposing strict lockdown measures in order to prevent the country from slipping into a bigger outbreak,” she said.

She added that the biggest concern is that community infections have started to rise and yet majority of the people no longer want to put into practice the existing guidelines on prevention of COVID-19 pandemic.

The country is currently experiencing a steady rise in the number of locally transmitted cases in now 33 districts with Amuru and Kyotera reporting the highest number of local transmission cases in comparison to other districts.

Nabakooba noted among others that majority of the people coming into towns and public places don’t want to put on their masks; trading in some of the key markets and zones such as Kikuubo, Kalerwe, Kasubi and in other towns is happening without any form of social distancing, and that the practice of hand washing with soap and water for all market goers has long been abandoned.

“Bodabodas that were limited to making deliveries are now carrying passengers; taxis in border points are carrying passengers and some of the taxis are loading passengers without any form of sanitizing or hand washing,” she said.

“The Ministry of Health is telling us that unless something is done quickly, the country is soon moving to the final and most dangerous stage of widespread community transmission,” Nabakooba added.