Uganda announces eight new cases of COVID-19

KAMPALA, Uganda

Authorities in Uganda confirmed eight new cases of the novel coronavirus late Monday.

Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng announced the latest figures at a press conference in the capital, Kampala.

This brings the total number of cases in the country to nine in less than three days. The new cases were found after 35 samples were tested Monday.

“All eight cases are Ugandan nationals who traveled back from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates -- two on March 20 and six on March 22,” she said.

Aceng said that to date, 2,661 travelers identified as potential risks, including Ugandans, are under either self-quarantine or institutional quarantine.

Appealing for calm, she called on the public to maintain a social distance of four meters (13 feet).

The minister is now appealing to all those who travelled to the United Arab Emirates in the last two weeks to call the health desk and have themselves checked.

Uganda was previously not checking travelers from Dubai, saying it was not a high-risk country.

The global death toll from the virus is over 16,000, with the number of confirmed cases exceeding 372,000, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

The virus, officially known as COVID-19, emerged in Wuhan, China last December and has spread to at least 167 countries and regions around the globe.