Museveni announces decisions on reopening schools, churches, airport, borders

President Yoweri Museveni has announced his government’s decisions on the reopening of schools, churches, borders and Entebbe International Airport, among other issues.

The decisions were reached at after meetings involving line ministries, cabinet and the Covid19 National Taskforce.

Museveni made the announcement of these decisions in his September 20 address.

Here is an outline of key decisions as summarized by Museveni’s senior press secretary Don Wanyama:

• Schools will re-open on October 15th for the candidate classes of P-7, S-4, S-6, finalists in tertiary colleges and finalists in universities.

• The International Airport and land borders will now be opened for tourists, coming in and going out, provided they tested negative 72 hours before arrival in Uganda and provided the tour operators ensure that the tourists do not mix with the Ugandans.

Returning Ugandans, who have negative PCR results, will be allowed to go home.

The Ministry of Health will only get their addresses for follow up.

• Restrictions on movements on border districts are hereby lifted.

• Curfew, from 9pm to 6am, will be maintained; but for the boda bodas, their movements must always end at 6pm.

• Places of worship, should open with the following guidelines:

a. Individual prayers or confessions with priests or counseling with the necessary SOPs.

b. Prayers and fellowships whose numbers do not exceed 70 and by observing all the other SOPs.

c. Night prayers and transnights are not allowed.

d. The regular large gatherings of prayers and preachings of Sundays and Fridays will be considered at a later stage, depending on how the disease will be evolving; but the rule of the number of 70 and not more can be used on the Fridays and Sundays.

e. There should be no Sunday School for children.

• Open air activities of sports will re-open provided there are no spectators and the players are tested for Covid-19, 72 hours before. This test will expire in 14 days. Hence, the Sportsmen will have to repeat the test. This also applies:

a. Sportsmen and women should remember that masks should not be worn, when you are engaged in strenuous exercises.

b. With tournaments, teams should be quarantined for the whole season of the competition.

c. Indoor sports activities, including gyms, remain closed.

• Casinos, gaming centres and cinemas remain closed.

• Bars shall remain closed.

• Hotels will continue operating following the SOPs agreed with the Ministry of Health.

• Restaurants should continue to emphasize the takeaways. Indoor restaurant services should be minimized and follow the SOPs.

• Mobile Markets, monthly cattle auction and produce markets, should remain closed as the Ministry of Health continues to develop SOPs.

• Mass gatherings are still prohibited.

• Our Bamasaaba grandchildren that are engaged in Imbalu in these months, have SOPs from the Ministry of Health that were agreed with the Cultural Institution. There should be no processions dancing Kadodi – that is dangerous congregating. The Security forces, especially the Police, should monitor those activities. Cases of Covid-19 have gone up in Mbale recently. They are now 107 and 5 deaths have occurred in that area.

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