President Museveni orders dusk – to – dawn curfew and not a lockdown to help curb Coronavirus spread
Is Uganda on total lockdown – President Museveni on Monday announced that effective Tuesday, March 31, 2020, from 7 pm, there will be a curfew across the whole country in a bid to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
A curfew according to the dictionary definition is a regulation that requires people to remain indoors between specified hours, typically at night.
With Uganda’s number of coronavirus cases still stuck on 33, Museveni said that putting up such drastic measures is inevitable as the country fights hard to tackle the pandemic.
As a result, he suggested that a night curfew will be observed effective 7 pm for the next 14 days so that no one is allowed to move at night except law enforcement officers.
In addition to the curfew, the President also imposed a ban on all movements in the country for all private cars except those transporting food items, including trains, lorries and pick-ups. However, all of the above will not be allowed during the curfew hours from 7 pm to 6:30 am.
Museveni who was first to admit that the new measures are harshly pinpointed that it is aimed for the benefit of Ugandans.
He said that he does not want to see a situation like in other countries where over 1000 people are dying per day of the disease before they get serious about tackling this serious pandemic.
“After further analysis, we have realised that to be on the safer side, we rather make mistakes on side of cautiousness than wait to be like some countries where over 1000 die per day of this disease,” he said.
Museveni added; There is less risk in taking this bitter medicine of restrictions than gambling by assuming the population was not contaminated when we are not sure.”
Uganda is not yet on total lockdown
As coronavirus continues to spread globally, many countries including Rwanda, South Africa have effected lockdown whereas Zimbabwe is expected to do the same next week.
A lockdown refers to an emergency protocol that usually prevents people or information from leaving an area.
But this morning 31 March, Morning @ NTV reported that, unlike other days, people in Kampala were seen moving in and out of the city on foot, others using bicycles and with few vehicles except those that had clear documents as directed by Mr Museveni.
While speaking to NTV in an interview, Kampala Lord Mayor Elias Lukwago also noted that, unlike other countries that initiated total lockdown, Uganda is only on partial lockdown.
However, in his Monday speech about bill payments, Mr Museveni clarified that Uganda is not on lock-down but a shutdown. He said on point 15.
We are going to discuss with Banks, electricity companies and water companies in connection with the loans and bills, many people have with these units. It is not correct to disconnect water or electricity on account of non-payment during this time of shutdown or to seize properties on account of the non-payment of loans.
According to The Guardian UK, On 23 January China locked down Wuhan city, home to 11 million people, where COVID-19 is thought to have originated.
It was probably the most extreme lockdown so far and at the time it was brought in the move was met with some international scepticism, including from the World Health Organization.
No journeys were allowed in or out of the city, even for those with compelling medical or humanitarian reasons.
Inside the city, public transport was suspended and private cars barred from the roads in most circumstances, except as part of the fight against the virus.
In the UK, the Telegraph reports Boris Johnson has placed the UK on a police-enforced lockdown with drastic new measures in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
The Prime Minister ordered people only to leave their homes under a list of “very limited purposes”, banned public gatherings of more than two people and ordered the closure of non-essential shops.
Heart Radio UK reports on what is lockdown like in Italy. Speaking on This Morning from a village outside of Rome, Elaine Dent explained that nobody is allowed to leave their borough without a certificate stating where they are going.
“There are roadblocks everywhere and the police stop you because they want to know where you’re going, and you have to show them a certificate.”
By virtual of this definition, Uganda has not yet enforced a total lockdown but rather on shutdown which opted for other means including banning of public transport means and public gatherings as well as a specific time frame curfew until further notice.
Uganda now is the third leading country in the Eastern Africa region with the highest number of coronavirus cases and only Mauritius 102, Rwanda, 60 and Kenya, 38 have more.
Here is a list of Museveni’s new directives
- Prohibit all movement including private cars
2. Suspended shopping malls, arcades starting on April 1, 2020
3. Non-food stores closed
4. Supermarkets remain open restricting the number of people who enter at a time.
5. Established food markets in Kampala and other towns to remain open but observe four metres distance between sellers and buyers
6. Factories to make temporary camps for workers to sleep for 14 days
7. Lodges, salons closed
8. Have workers at the farms
9. Essential services like medical, door to door deliveries, security, banks, garbage collectors, cleaning services, fire brigade, water, electricity, URA, UNRA, funeral services
10. Cargo only allowed. Crew and lorries restricted to only three persons
11.Prohibited gathering of more than five people
12. Curfew starting 7 pm beginning March 31
13. Government vehicles parked except for security
14. To discuss with banks, electricity companies and NWSC over bills to members of the public during this period
15. Government workers stay home except for security, health workers
16. Visitors to barracks suspended
17. Government to identify and give food to needy
18. Police directed to arrest politicians found distributing food and be charged with attempted murder
