President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda will soon ease the coronavirus lockdown restrictions because the country can’t live under strict measures forever.
“We have avoided situations like for those abroad because we used maximum restrictions. We must now slowly open by continuing to avoid the virus through using masks, continue to treat as long as the numbers are not many and at the same time still look for the vaccine. We may soon resume public transport, but this will only work if we have masks on. If we fail to wear masks, we will have massive infections,” he said.
However, he said, Ugandans are yet to appreciate the importance of the face mask in stopping the spread of the virus. He said he has seen people wearing masks around necks, over the chins and on the head as if it were a decoration. As they keep on adjusting the mask, he said they risk taking the virus closer to their face.
“The lockdown was in order to prepare better because we were not prepared better in the beginning. We’re now more prepared because you remember in my speech, I said you either vaccinate, or avoid, or treat…Of the three what is possible now is to avoid and treat and you have seen us treating. We have treated these people and they have been cured and gone. Nobody has died.” said Museveni.
“We have been able to treat because the numbers were few. That is the whole strategy. The mistake in Europe and other places was that they did not avoid early. They were playing around with something very dangerous and it spread so much that the numbers were so many, it was not treatable. That is why they said let that one die because we have nowhere to put them. That is what we want to avoid here.” he added.
Museveni made the remarks on Saturday at State House Entebbe where he hosted inter-religious leaders for anti-coronavirus prayers.
President’s remarks come at a time where Uganda’s coronavirus cases are on a rise. On Sunday, 10th May, the country confirmed 5 new cases of the novel coronavirus bringing the total number of cases to 121.
However, majority of Uganda’s cases are imported by cross border truck drivers.
Ministry of Health said 31 of the foreign drivers have returned to their respective countries and currently active cases stand at 28 with 55 recoveries.
Museveni said the lockdown which was extended this week by another two weeks was to help the country prepare better and mitigate the spread of the virus.
The president once again reiterated that there will be no locking out cross border cargo trucks as a section of Ugandans were demanding – because Uganda needs goods such as salt to be imported into the country.
Instead, Museveni said, the presidents of DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya have agreed to have the drivers be tested from where they are coming from. He said the drivers will be tested by a joint team of the four countries in Naivasha, Kenya.
Museveni also said coronavirus has helped Uganda to pay more attention to cargo truck drivers’ health after many of them were found to have other underlying diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure. He said such drivers are bound to cause accidents on the road and that Uganda will “certainly” only allow healthy drivers into the country.
“Drivers are like pilots. Anyone to be a truck driver must be healthy. You can’t have diabetes and high blood pressure and be a truck driver.” he said.
