Ugandans who were worried that the country might be placed under a lockdown over the current of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) can now breathe a sigh of relief after the president, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, announced that there will be no lockdown over the viral haemorrhagic disease.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MoH) confirmed the outbreak of the Ebola disease in the district of Mubende in September 2022. Ebola has since spread to other districts of Uganda. (See Details Here).
With Ebola spreading to more districts and the capital Kampala, there were fears that President Museveni would declare a lockdown over the whole country so as to prevent the spread of the disease. In fact, a few weeks ago, Museveni placed the districts of Mubende and Kassanda under a lockdown, announcing 24 directives. (Read these directives in Museveni’s full third Ebola address HERE).
Had it been declared, the national Ebola lockdown would likely have worsened an already tough economic situation and negatively affected recovery plans for a country that is reeling from the impact of a two-year Covid19 lockdown that disrupted learning and economic activities.
But Gen Museveni has now declared that he will not institute a lockdown over the country, saying “this Ebola disease is not very serious,” and telling Ugandans not to worry but to relax, follow the standard operating procedures and continue engaging in their economic activities.
Regarding the Ebola situation, first of all, there will be NO LOCKDOWN. Therefore, people should go ahead and concentrate on their work without worry. However, we should be more vigilant and observe the SOPs put in place to control the Ebola spread,” Museveni said on November 04, 2022.
MUSEVENI HOSTS INDIANS FOR DIWALI DINNER AT STATE HOUSE ENTEBBE
He had made the same declaration at State House Entebbe where he was hosting the Indian Community in Uganda for a Diwali dinner. During the dinner, the president hailed the Gujaratis for having played a lead role in Uganda’s social, industrial development for the last many decades. He wondered why Amin had seen them “as a problem” and failed to value the chain of wealth creation.
What else did Museveni say at Diwali Dinner?
We (NRM) the appreciators of production made it clear that the presence of the Indian community in Uganda has enormous benefits and we can live in a symbiotic relationship by playing different roles in wealth creation while exploiting Uganda’s production potential.
Hence, regarding citizenship, therefore, there should not be issues with children whose Indian parents are already citizens of Uganda, even those who are not citizens but frequently come to Uganda for business should be given multiple/entry visas in the country.
Finally, I want to call upon more Indian investors to set up here, we still need investment in value addition in dairy, steel, agriculture, tanning etc. I congratulate the Indian community and wish them wonderful celebrations.
LATEST ON EBOLA FIGHT
Besides fears of a lockdown, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng recently recommended that schools be closed early to stop the spread of Ebola in education institutions. (Read Story Here).
The fight against Ebola in the district of Kassanda suffered a setback after fearless locals exhumed the body of an Ebola victim and performed rituals on it before re-burying it under the cover of darkness. Of those who took part in the exhumation of the body and performance of rituals, over 20 have tested positive for Ebola while three have already succumbed to the disease. (See Details Here).
Regarding funding for the Ebola fight, there is cold war between Health Ministry officials and US Ambassador Natalie Brown after the embassy refused to give the ministry funds to fight Ebola, choosing to instead channel the cash through agencies. Ambassador Brown said they could not trust some corrupt officials at Dr Jane Ruth Aceng’s Health Ministry since these could either divert or steal the money. (Full Story is Here).
