31 July 2021•Update: 31 July 2021
By Godfrey Olukya
KAMPALA, Uganda
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni late Friday eased the total coronavirus lockdown which he imposed 42 days ago.
Museveni said he partially opened up because the virus situation has tremendously improved. “By the time I announced the total lockdown last month, each day 1,735 new cases of COVID19 were being reported, but now they have reduced to only 71 per day,” he said in an address to the nation. “By that time, out of every 100 people who were tested, 22 had COVID 19 but now only eight out of 100 are found infected. It is for those reasons that I am now partially opening up.’’
Private and public transport are among sectors opened up but were instructed to strictly adhere to prevention guidelines.
He said private vehicles are now free to move about the country but with only three people in each.
Public transport which had been locked up can operate but with half the number of passengers a vehicle can carry.
He also opened up shopping malls, shopping arcades and saloons.
But Museveni said places of worship, schools, casinos, gyms and bars must remain closed. Weddings and burials can be attended by only 20 people.
He warned that he would take the country back to a total lockdown if those involved in areas he opened up do not follow standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“We are opening up. If you do not observe SOPs you will get problems,” he said.
A total of 93,675 infections have been confirmed with 2661 deaths, according to the Ugandan Health Ministry.
The number of people vaccinated is 1,143,763 out of a population of 44 million.
