The Ministry says all venues should have first aid kits, toilets or latrines with 1 stance for every 20 participants, hand washing facilities, waste management facilities, adequate ventilation with proper air circulation, health desk with Health workers to monitor the health safety standards and that all venues should have access to evacuation facilities for sick participants like ambulances.
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Workers at Entebbe Air Port donned in protective wear to guard against infection with Corona Virus.
The Ministry of Health has listed seven items that must be
in place for any mass gathering to be allowed to take place, in the wake of the increasing threat of COVID-19 Coronavirus.
The Ministry says all venues should have first aid kits,
toilets or latrines with 1 stance for every 20 participants, hand washing
facilities, waste management facilities, adequate ventilation with proper air
circulation, health desk with Health workers to monitor the health safety
standards and that all venues should have access to evacuation facilities for
sick participants like ambulances.
The new guidelines were released this morning. The Ministry
says the guidelines apply to all sporting events, prayer congregations, social
and cultural events such as burials and weddings in addition to political
events like rallies and national events which Ministry of Health personnel or
local authorities must approve before happening.
These come after Uganda was recorded among the countries at
high risk of infection of Coronavirus (COVID -19), an acute respiratory
disease that started in China late December.
By the end of yesterday, according to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), there were 109, 577 confirmed cases of the disease globally
with some 3,809 deaths. Outside of
China, 104 countries have recorded positive cases and as a result of this, many
have gone ahead to cancel mass gathering to avoid infection since the disease
is airborne and highly infectious.
However, WHO says that if one hasn’t travelled to an area
with a positive case or hasn’t been in contact with an infected person, the
risk of infection is low.
But, in Uganda, as part of the preparedness efforts since
the country has not recorded a positive case, the Ministry of Health recommends
that people with flu-like symptoms and who are unwell should stay at home and not
be allowed to access premises for mass gatherings.
By the end of last week, a number of public gatherings that
especially involved foreigners had been cancelled.
