London, UK | XINHUA | Millions of Britons woke up Tuesday to face new strict lockdown measures requiring them to stay indoors as COVID-19 infections continue to spiral upwards. Announcing the lockdown, the third of its kind since the pandemic began in the country, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson …
Read More »ACODE asks gov’t to fast track disaster management law
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new report has urged the government to fast-track the Uganda National Disaster Preparedness and Management Act, draft Bill. The report compiled by Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) analyses the performance of district COVID-19 task forces in Uganda. As part of the response …
Read More »School reopening: Inspectors call for change in social distance guidelines
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As the Ministry of Education and Sports prepares for full reopening of education institutions, school inspectors say it will be impossible to reopen for all classes if the two-metre class social distance rule is not dropped. In October last year, the government developed Guidelines …
Read More »Parliament approves loans worth UGX 18.6 trillion in 2020
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Last year Parliament approved loans to the tune of 18.69 trillion Shillings, according to the report detailing the business transacted by the House in the year 2020. The approved loans are up from the 6.15 trillion Shillings that legislators approved in 2019. According to the …
Read More »Car boot sales are illegal – KCCA
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The emerging car-boot Ugandan entrepreneurs can still enjoy a free ride in the market but all indications are that it will not be long before authorities start demanding their pound of flesh. The car boot sales businesses which propped up during Covid-19 pandemic March to August, are …
Read More »Experts frown at Ugandan companies testing staff for COVID-19 as offices reopen
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As offices were reopening on Monday after the end of year festivities, the Insurance Training College (ITC), the training arm of Uganda’s Insurance sector opted for testing all its staff for SARS – COV -2, the virus that causes COVID-19 which has had over 30,000 …
Read More »Uganda, Africa awaits CoviShield vaccine from India
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT, URN & XINHUA | When the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) VG Somani on Sunday approved the Oxford coronavirus vaccine and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for “restricted use”, the clapping and cheering that followed could be heard in nearly all the capital cities of Africa, including …
Read More »Elections over, Ghana to reopen school after 9-month closure
Accra, Ghana | Xinhua | All levels of public and private schools will reopen this month after about 9-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said here late Sunday. In his 21st broadcast to the nation on measures taken by the government against …
Read More »China approves first self-developed COVID-19 vaccine
“This vaccine will be provided free of charge to all Chinese people,” said an official with the National Health Commission Beijing, China | Xinhua | China has announced that it had granted conditional marketing authorization for its first self-developed COVID-19 vaccine. The inactivated vaccine, which got the approval from the …
Read More »Doctors paying exorbitant bills to seek Covid-19 treatment in private hospitals
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 10 doctors who have suffered from severe forms of COVID-19 have been forced to seek care from private hospitals. This is due to the lack of ICU beds in government hospitals. According to the Uganda Medical Association-UMA, their colleagues who on average earn …
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