Covid-19: Uganda partially eases lockdown

President Museveni on Monday announced a restricted opening up of Uganda’s economy which was placed under a lockdown in order to fight the spread of coronavirus, 43 days ago.

The partial opening up will see agriculture, construction, hardware shops, wood and metal workshops, vehicle garages, restaurants, wholesalers and warehouses allowed to operate.

However, he said, operators and clients should observe social distancing guidelines and wear facemasks.

He said insurance practitioners will be allowed to operate and only 30 lawyers under the Uganda Law Society, will be added onto the list of essential service providers.

However, according to Mr Museveni, restaurants will only be allowed to offer takeaway services.

“You can't fail to sleep for fear of dreaming a bad dream. We shall start slowly to open up but without undoing our previous achievements. The achievements are 89 cases with 55 recoveries and no deaths,” he said.

He said that all other measures such as the suspension of public transport, schools and religious assemblies that were announced at the beginning of the lockdown, will be in place for the next 14 days.

Mr Museveni said: “Many of our dormitories are overcrowded. Many schools are day schools. Let the school children stay at home. Even if they miss a term or a year, it is better than to hear they had a problem because we were impatient. Big gatherings, no,” he said.

He said that it is unwise for public or private transport to start operating adding that organisations and employers should use buses to transport their workforce, use bicycles or walk to and from work.

Mr Museveni said that it is now mandatory for everyone not in their homes to wear a face mask covering the nose and mouth.

He said that among the 89 Covid-19 cases confirmed in Uganda; 55 are Ugandans, 12 are from Tanzania, 13 are Kenyans, three Burundians, one Canadian, two Chinese, one Indian and one DR Congo citizen.

Out of these cases, 30 are truck drivers.

“The curve of the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda is quite flat, slightly almost 10 percent from the horizontal. This means we have somehow tamed the virus although we can’t say that we have eliminated it,” he said.

He hailed Ugandans for their understanding and cooperation.

“We have avoided images of what we have seen in other countries of coffins and coffins and coffins," he said.