The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Members of Parliament have today tasked the Ministry of Health to explain why people coming into Uganda are forced to pay 100 US Dollars for quarantine per night at Entebbe Central Inn.
Several people including Ugandans have complained that Government was taking them to Entebbe Central Inn, a hotel in Entebbe for self quarantine, and yet the hotel was charging 100 US Dollars (Approximately 374,000) shillings a night, for the next 14 days. The development comes after the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID – 19) that is quickly spreading around the world.
The Ministry last week announced that those who come from the 17 high risk countries would cater for the costs of self quarantine. Some of the 17 countries are Iran, Switzerland, France, Germany, USA, UK, Japan, China, Italy among others.
Appearing before the Public Accounts committee of Parliament to answer on the status of the Coronavirus (COVID – 19) preparedness, the Health officials led by Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine told the committee that the Ministry lacked a place to implement the quarantine, and therefore they talked to hotel owners to support the Ministry.
Atwine was responding to a question by Isingiro South MP Alex Byarugaba who asked why the Ministry cannot allow people to pick a hotel of their choice and that they can afford, saying 100 USD per night is too expensive.
Atwine says that although many hotels refused to host people who had traveled into the country for fear of a case turning out positive and stigma associated with the hotel, Entebbe Central Inn allowed to have people quarantine in their rooms, and they were also the cheapest charging 100 US dollars per night.
She says there is no way the Ministry is benefiting from the quarantine.
According to the Health Ministry, so far Uganda has tested 50 people who have all tested negative. So far nearly 200,000 people worldwide have tested positive for the Coronavirus, while 7000 people have died.
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I mean, in Uganda we know how to create refugee camps and makeshift barracks.
Why can’t our military provide tents, uniports, pit latrines, and unhcr or red cross help to set up the other things of temporary camps like safe water, mosquito nets, emergency food etc?
Then those who can’t pay $100 will have an option.
It would be very reasonable considering the circumstances and the very real threat to society at large.