President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda has announced that the country will fully be open to normal operations come January 2022.
In his address to the nation on Thursday night, the president said that the move to reopen the economy is due to availability and access to the Covid-19 vaccines.
Museveni said that the chiefs and other government officials should make sure that citizens access vaccines in their localities.
He said that by December 2021, the country will have acquired 23 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.
“This will be sufficient to vaccinate 12 million people, including the estimated 4.8 million front line workers and vulnerable people, setting us on a path of fully opening up the country,” Museveni said.
He also said that the schools will resume learning in January whether people will go for the doses or not, adding that the moral responsibility will be in their hands.
“I am here telling all Ugandans that vaccines for all frontline workers are now available. Walk to the health centre, be carried by bazukulu and go by bicycle.”
This means that the curfew remains at 7 pm –5.30 am, and boda boda riders should stop movement at 6 pm.
In his September address, the president had said that 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.
Edited by D Tarus
