President Yoweri Museveni has on Wednesday declared all public gatherings, including places of worship, political and cultural meetings and academic institutions tor 30 days as a means of averting the spread of covid-19 .
During a state of the nation address this evening Museveni said that cabinet sat on Monday the 16th of march and came up with a list of measures that would help avert COVID -19 before having a confirmed case in the country.
The president said all Educational Institutions including schools, colleges and universities would effective Friday at midday be closed for 30 days because crowding is the perfect ground for new infections.
All social events including sports, music shows, cinemas, bars among others have also been banned for one month.
He noted that this is done even before the occurrence of a single corona incident because in other countries, once the epidemic breaks out, there is so much stampede that the first suspect to be affected is transport.
He banned movements by Ugandans to or through countries that have registered a very high number of cases. He cited countries like Italy, France, South Korea, China, the United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Norway, Austria, Malaysia, Pakistan and San Morino.
He said that the ban is for the next 32 days and that foreigners currently in Uganda are free to go to the named countries as long as they do not return within the prohibited time.
Museveni added that Ugandans coming back from abroad will not be stopped, but will be placed under quarantine at their own cost.
The President also said that factories, hotels, large plantations, markets, taxi parks and others should continue operating but with standard operation procedures put out by the Ministry of Health.
Funerals are a danger point, we can’t ban burial but we request the burial is done by the immediate family members and other rituals done later. If the person is suspected to have died of Coronavirus, the state will take over the burial,” the President said.
He added: “Uganda style weddings that bring together a pentagon of groups. This multidirectional source of the embaga/ mikolo attendants can be a source of great danger. The weddings of this type should be postponed for 32 days from today.”
The president encouraged the public to always wash handkerchiefs after use and iron them, wash hands after touching surfaces without touching soft parts of their bodies which include the eyes , nose, and mouth.
He also encouraged good nutrition habits like eating at more vitamin c foods to boost immunity and folic acid-rich foods like oranges, bananas among others.
He noted that the virus stays alive for three hours on surfaces after sneezing or coughing out and when you touch these surfaces and go back to soft spots that you get the virus.
He however said the virus will kill only 3percent of the 100 percent infected if the 100 percent is in perfect health.
