Four hotels under probe for breaching Covid-19 control measures

Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four hotels in Kabale district have come under criticism for allegedly violating COVID-19 control measures. The hotels include Little Liz Hotel and Restaurant, Monalisa Lounge, Bunyonyi Safaris, and White Horse Inn.

Security and health officials argue that the hotels work normally during the day by serving food and soft drinks, but change the business into dancing clubs under the cover of darkness. Monalisa Lounge and Little Liz Hotel, reportedly play loud music at night and operate bars, despite the continued closure of bars.

White Horse Inn and Bunyonyi Safaris Hotel have reportedly been hosting silent discos, pool parties, and live band every weekend. According to security officials, the hotels even circulate flyers advertising night dancing events and live band in total disregard of the guidelines. They say that this is one of the factors fueling the high rate of COVID-19 in communities across Kabale.

The officer-in charge of Kabale Central Police Station Muhammad Byansi, says that intelligence officers have probed and confirmed that the four hotels secretly turn into dancing zones at night. Byansi says that he has summoned some managers of the bars to explain why they are violating presidential directives on COVID-19 prevention.

Kabale District Health Officer Alfred Besigensi says that the COVID-19 task force has already tasked police to intervene and deal with the hotel owners who have continued to defy the measures that were put in place to keep COVID-19 at bay.

Godfrey Nyakahuma, Kabale Resident District Commissioner says that the accused hotels must follow the presidential guidelines or else law will take its course. However, Doreen Mulenga, manager of Little Liz Hotel and restaurant, and Kenneth Kasozi, the manager of Bunyonyi Safaris hotel rubbished the accusations as untrue.

So far, Kabale district has a total of 129 active cases of COVID-19. Of these, 87 are under home based care and the rest are admitted at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital. Kabale has lost 108 people to COVID-19 since the disease was declared in Uganda.

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