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LOCK-DOWN EASED
✳ Agriculture will continue
✳ No opening Airport and other passenger air transport
✳ Bussing, cycling allowed
✳ Wholesalers allowed to open
✳ Hardware shops allowed to open
✳ Insurance providers to work
✳ Metal and wood workshops
✳ Repair workshops and garages
✳ Lawyers allowed to work
✳ Restaurants opened but only takeaways
✳ Masks will soon be mandatory
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | President Yoweri Museveni this evening allowed a very limited number of businesses to reopen, as he extended the COVID-19 lockdown for another 14-days. (full speech bottom)
The businesses allowed to open are hardware shops, mechanic workshops and garages, metal and wood workshops, insurance companies, 30 lawyers to handle urgent matters, restaurants with takeaway services, and warehouses.
Similarly, the president said every person who leaves home must wear a cloth face mask to stop the spread the COVID-19.
However the president said they debated and concluded that it wasn’t yet time to reopen both public and private transport, and schools, because of the risk it poses.
“We have not yet thought it wise to allow public or private transport. People should use buses, either owned or hired by the employers, cycling to the workplace which is the healthiest and also walking to the factory and walking back,” Museveni said.
He also added that it was still very dangerous to reopen schools especially due to congestions in dormitories and day schools where children walk to and from school.
“We thought about the big groups such as the 15 million grandchildren; I don’t want them to go back to these schools yet. I don’t want sick children If you have them going to school, we shall have public transport. Let the children stay at home, I’m more comfortable with them than going to school in this situation. Even if they miss a term or year, it’s better than to hear that they have a problem because of being too impatient,” Museveni said.
Museveni added that during the next 14-days, all the 35 measures that he announced between March 18-30 will remain in place. He said these will be reviewed towards the end of the 14 days.
On wearing the face masks, the president said it’s important in order to limit the spread of the virus in case anyone is infected.
“We are going to make it mandatory to cover the face with a cloth mask…because the virus rides on the droplets; it cannot fly by its self. The mask may become a seedbed, of the virus,” Museveni said.
He added that Uganda now has capacity to make sanitizers, personal protective equipment and face masks because of companies like Nytil that have joined the effort.
“38 factories are now making enough quantities of sanitizers, now the waragi that has been killing you is going to be useful. The work waragi has been doing I don’t support it. I’m very happy that waragi has found good use at last,” Museveni said.
Uganda has currently 89 confirmed covid-19 cases out of the 38,845 samples tested.
President Museveni – 13th A… by The Independent Magazine on Scribd
