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Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The COVID-19 Taskforce in Teso Sub Region is struggling to re-integrate COVID-19 suspects discharged from the isolation and quarantine centres in Soroti.
By Monday, 10 people had been discharged from the quarantine at Soroti Comprehensive Nursing School and another from the Isolation Unit at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
Those quarantined were shunned by the community following their history of travel from abroad in March for business and official duties while the ones in isolation were admitted after presenting with symptoms of the deadly virus.
However, after completing the mandatory institutional quarantine and isolation, most of the communities are not willing to accept their relatives back.
In Orwadai village in Soroti Sub County where three women who returned from a business trip in Kenya were forced into quarantine, their neighbours couldn’t allow them back being discharged.
One of the residents who spoke on condition of anonymity says that they cannot take chances since they have heard cases of reinfections after discharge.
“We have heard that some people tested positive after they were discharged from the hospital in some places. How can we trust the ones discharged from Soroti? Besides, these are crowded rented rooms, where people share sanitary facilities. We can’t take risks”, the source said.
Dr John Wilson Etolu, the head of COVID-19 treatment and management at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital says almost all the COVID-19 suspects discharged from the hospital have been rejected by their communities.
He explains that their first client was utterly rejected from her residence, leaving the team stranded. Dr Etolu notes that even after sensitization of the community at the re-integration areas, none of them was willing to accept them.
Dr Etolu also disclosed that much as they discharged suspected COVID-19 cases after testing negative, they are advised to continue with self-quarantine for another 14 days.
William Wilberforce Tukei, the Resident District Commissioner Soroti says they are appealing to communities to accept their relatives back home.
One of the ladies quarantined in Soroti was rejected by the landlord and fellow tenants. She told our reporter that when she will relocate to her village after completing another round of self-quarantine at the friend’s place.
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