• The National Task Force said places of worship can reopen with a limited number of worshippers.
• The number of persons attending weddings, burials, and other social events can increase to 200.
Image: REUTERS
Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has partially reopened the country, citing a continued decline in the daily Covid-19 cases.
However, he said nine districts - Kampala, Kalungu, Kabale, Kumi, Soroti, Tororo, Gulu, Nwoya, and Yumbe - continue to record higher transmission rates.
In his address on Wednesday evening, the president said that as of September 22, the country had registered 122,502confirmed cases and 3,135 deaths.
He said the National Task Force considers factors such as risk of transmission in a sector, vulnerability of individuals and the overall economic impact before deciding on the safe lifting of restrictions.
The National Task Force said places of worship can reopen with a limited number of worshippers at any one time to not more than 200 provided the place of worship can ensure physical distancing of 2 meters.
The number of persons attending weddings, burials, and other social events can increase to 200 under strict observance of the measures provided.
Museveni said bars, concerts, disco halls and beaches remain closed since they tend to congregate a large number of people. However, the case can be considered later when the vaccinated people hit 4.8 million of the priority groups.
He said that curfew remains at 7pm –5.30am, and boda boda riders should stop movement at 6pm.
“Restriction of movement of persons at the night time is key to the enforcement of other preventive health measures,” Museveni said.
The president said that weekly markets can now resume with strict adherence to guidelines given, and the curfew hours, except for current hotspot districts.
Reopening of schools
Museveni has said infections in children below 18 years are often mild and they recover quickly, but about 15 million of them are day scholars who can infect their parents back at home.
For the safe reopening of schools, the president said that vaccination of teachers, non-teaching staff, 330,000 students aged 18 years and above, plus all the other priority populations should be ensured.
“To date, out of the targeted 550,000 teachers, 269,945 have already received the first dose of vaccination while 96,653 have received the second dose. This leaves a total of 280,055 not yet vaccinated at all.”
The President recommended:
- Post-Secondary institutions of learning to open with effect from November 1, 2021, on condition that; all teachers and non-teaching staff are vaccinated.
- The 330,000 students aged 18 years and above in post-secondary institutions should be vaccinated as soon as possible.
- The rest of the learning institutions will open in January 2022.
“I call upon all teachers and support staff to get vaccinated as soon as possible to enable safe re-opening of schools.”
Edited by CM