President Yoweri Museveni has extended Uganda lockdown period for another 21 days, starting from tomorrow April 15, to May 05, 2020
President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed an extension of the national lockdown for more 21 days to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
While addressing the nation on Tuesday 14th April, Museveni implied that the Ministry of Health still needs adequate time to study the whole situation of the virus before people can head back to their daily routines.
According to Museveni although measures enforced earlier seem to have worked well it is not the right time to call off the lockdown as many locals think.
Museveni said that there are still a few potential virus spreading points that the country still has to supervise and monitor effectively before people can have the freedom to move anywhere they want anytime.
Museveni in particular mentioned the porous border points with nearby countries that allow people to sneak into the country, cargo trucks drivers and their crews, aircraft crew, UN workers who were allowed to continue operating and health workers treating people infected with the virus.
“Government has decided to keep the stay home decision for another 21 days starting tomorrow April,15 to May 5, 2020, to allow us to study the situation longer,” Museveni said.
As of Monday 13th April, Uganda has a total of 54 confirmed COVID-19 cases out of 5664 tests, however, if you are to exclude those that have healed from the virus the number of infected patients reduces to 47.
Since it’s an outbreak in the country, Uganda is yet to record any victims who have succumbed to the virus and more people are also continuing to recover from it according to the health ministry.
This according to Museveni means that the measures enforced earlier have impacted positively and as a result, they will remain in place including the daily 7 pm – 6:30 am curfew as they continue to monitor virus spread.
The president called on the general public to remain patient as the Ministry of Health is still following up on a total of 18000 people who entered the country between March 7 and 22 days before the lockdown.
“These measures seem to have worked because up to yesterday we had tested 5664 persons and only 54 had been found positive but let us not be impatient. Let us wait for another 21 days and see what happens,” Museveni said.
He added; “Let us keep quiet. If there is something, it will come up and if not, we will move on but at least we will have tried.”
He meanwhile appealed to all Ugandans mostly the youths to observe the stay home directive including other guidelines in place to help in fighting this pandemic.
“I would like to appeal to Ugandans to follow the guidelines above. Youths stop going to trading centres to loiter. What are you doing in the trading centres? It is better for your health,” Museveni said.
Adding that the next three weeks will determine the next course of action the country will take in eradicating this pandemic.
