Museveni Extends COVID-19 Lockdown for 21-Days

President Museveni has this afternoon extended the lockdown of the country for another 21 days until May 5.   

Addressing the country from State House Nakasero, Museveni said the country still has a threat of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, especially before the Ministry of Health tracks down all the 18,000 people who returned to Uganda shortly before March 22, when the borders were closed.

Museveni said that all the 34 measures that he had already announced to deal with the virus will also stay for the same time. These include a ban on public and private, closure of schools and other public gatherings like churches, mosques, and political rallies, an all-night curfew starting at 7 pm every day, and the closure of shopping malls, hardware shops, businesses selling non-food items, saloons, lodges and garages.

The president said that having only 54 cases out of the 5,664 tested, shows that the measures that he instituted actually worked. Uganda currently has 54 confirmed coronavirus cases, zero deaths and no recoveries.

He added that there was also a need to keep the lockdown because there could have been other people who were infected and never went to the hospital.

“These 54 cases might not be the only one because it doesn’t address the other people who fall sick but they don’t show signs.Let’s wait for another 21-days to see if someone got the virus and they are the asymptomatic type.When you want to hear whether there is any problem you keep quiet, if there is anything it will come out,” Museveni said.

After the 21 days, Museveni added, “we shall say we have tried; for better or for worse we would have done our part. I would like to appeal to our Ugandans to observe these prohibitions,” Museveni said.