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Uganda slowly begins easing virus restrictions
Kampala, Uganda | AFP | The capital Kampala appeared more lively than it has in recent weeks as food markets, wholesale shops, garages, workshops, law firms and hardware shops were allowed to re-open Tuesday.
One or two long stretches of traffic jams were reported on the outskirts of the city as cars made their way to or from the Central Business Centre.
This, hours after Uganda began slowly easing coronavirus measures, allowing a number of businesses to re-open, even as its five-week lockdown was extended for another two weeks.
Uganda had imposed one of the strictest and swiftest lockdowns in Africa, but has joined those like neighbouring Rwanda in slowly easing the measures, after recording only 97 cases and no deaths.
“We must therefore slowly and carefully start opening up but without undoing our gains so far,” Museveni said in a televised national address announcing the new measures on Monday night.
He said that wearing of masks was now mandatory in public spaces, but few seemed to be following the new rule, an AFP correspondent noted.
Schools remain closed and public and private transport banned, although several private vehicles nevertheless ventured out in the capital.
Restaurants are allowed to operate but only to serve takeaways.
For many in the country however, the easing of restrictions is not enough to tackle the economic hardship brought about by the lockdown.
“Without public transport, opening business here is good, but a far cry from what can help us go back to business”, said Alex Wairagala, 38, a trader in Kampala’s commercial hub of Kikuubo.
“We have opened the wholesale department but fewer customers are getting in and those who come have less money,” he added.
In East Africa, Uganda and Rwanda appear to have flattened the curve of new cases. Mauritius has remained steady at 332 cases for nine days but nevertheless decided to extend its lockdown until June 1.
The Seychelles also this week relaxed confinement measures after remaining steady at 11 cases for a month.
However in Kenya — where authorities only imposed a nighttime curfew — Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe on Tuesday castigated citizens for failing to take containment measures seriously, as a record 45 people tested positive in a day.
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The minister of health and presdent should allow health workers in the rural settings to travel easily to meet their families that are in the urban settings. We are psychologicaly stressed for being away from our family members. At least once a week the district task force and the security personnel should allow us move with ease. We can’t carry the whole family to the village we work based on the hard circumstance that we live in right from accommodation and transport.