London, United Kingdom | AFP | Boris Johnson will return to work at the start of the week as pressure increases on the UK government over its handling of the coronavirus crisis which has claimed more than 20,000 lives. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News that Johnson would be back …
Read More »Gulu leaders appeal for more food aid to rescue starving families
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gulu district COVID-19 taskforce has appealed for more food relief to aid hundreds of starving families in the area. Gulu district Chairman Martin Ojara Mapenduzi says that they have been overwhelmed with the demands for food from helpless households, whose livelihood was disrupted by …
Read More »From 9-11 to a pandemic, New Yorkers once again put to the test
New York, United States | AFP | Nearly two decades after Manhattan’s Twin Towers fell in history’s deadliest attack on US soil, the coronavirus pandemic is once again testing the storied mettle of New Yorkers. The September 11, 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Center left nearly 3,000 people dead …
Read More »The potential impact of COVID-19 on Local Governments
COMMENT | Jonas Mbabazi | In Uganda, as of April 24, 2020, there were 75 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 46 of these have recovered and none has died. The shocks from the coronavirus pandemic have been sudden and unprecedented. Within a few months, many businesses, government offices, markets, public and …
Read More »No more stopovers for long haul trucks in Gulu
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Gulu District COVID -19 Taskforce has banned stopovers for all cargo truck drivers in the district. The ban was issued by Gulu Resident District Commissioner Maj. Santos Okot Lapolo as the head of the District COVID-19 Taskforce, amid growing uncertainty on the health status …
Read More »Masaka security pardons 25 people arrested for violating COVID-19 guidelines
Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Security authorities in Masaka district have pardoned 25 people who had been arrested for defying COVID-19 control measures. The pardoned individuals were arrested in a Joint Security operation commanded by Masaka District Police Commander Bosco Bakashaba, to enforce COVID-19 directives issued by President Museveni. Najib …
Read More »Ambulance driver quarantined after exposure to COVID-19 positive truck driver
Kisoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A driver who transported a COVID-19 positive truck driver from Chanika border in Kisoro district to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital has been quarantined after exposure. The truck driver was transported to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital for admission on Friday in a Toyota Land Cruiser registration …
Read More »WHO warns over virus immunity as global death toll tops 200,000
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The global death toll in the novel coronavirus pandemic soared past the grim 200,000 milestone on Sunday, as the World Health Organization warned against “immunity passports” for recovered patients, seen as a possible tool for countries preparing to re-open their economies. The WHO opposes such “passports” …
Read More »Belarusian football wins fans abroad as locals boycott matches
Minsk, Belarus | AFP | As Belarus resists imposing a lockdown to combat the coronavirus, its football league has stumbled into the international limelight as Europe’s only remaining top-flight competition. But players are worried about the health risks and only diehard fans are braving matches. FC Slutsk fan Yahor Khavanski, 26, …
Read More »As earnings loom, Big Tech to highlight pandemic efforts
Washington, United States | AFP | Big Tech firms set to report quarterly results in the coming days are facing the challenge of spotlighting their roles battling the coronavirus pandemic without seeming as though they are cashing in on upheaval from the health crisis. The normal talk on profits and revenue …
Read More »