The Minister of National Guidance, Godfrey Kabbyanga Baluku has hinted on the possibility of not fully reopening the economy next month should Ugandans remain reluctant in observing the COVID19 related guidelines.
Baluku who was Saturday addressing a congregation at the South Rwenzori Diocese in Kasese expressed concern over how many people have deliberately remained adamant on following the guidelines despite the country registering a surge in the new cases.
“People are not putting on masks, the social distance is not there. If I had come with the enforcement personnel, I would have arrested everyone here,” the Minister told the congregants who themselves had not observed the guidelines.
“The economy is supposed to open in January as long as the spread is not hiking. The schools are supposed to open on January 10 but it only depends on how the new variant is spreading. So, if we want the economy to fully reopen, let us observe the SOPs,” added the Minister.
His remarks come ahead of the arrangements for the President to receive the status report on COVID19 from the national taskforce for a final decision on schools reopening and full opening of the economy.
The Deputy Presidential Press Secretary Faruk, Kirunda on Saturday said that the President will tomorrow Monday get the report, which will in turn, inform the way forward on full reopening of the economy.
In his address on COVID19 in October this year, Museveni said schools shut since March 2020 owing to the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen early next year regardless of vaccination uptake.
“Be informed that the schools will be opened in January and the rest of the economy will be opened in the same month,” Museveni said
The President who noted that “vaccination is key to the reopening of the economy”, revealed that by the end of this month, the country would have received 23 million COVID19 doses and 12 million people should have been vaccinated including vulnerable people and health and education workers.
It is anticipated that tomorrow, the President will, among other things, be briefed about the ongoing mass COVID-19 vaccinations around the country and the current pandemic status.
The recent six days according to official figures from the Ministry of Health, have seen Uganda record a surge in the new cases. The country confirmed 258 news cases on December 18, 357 new cases on December 19, 502 new cases on December 20, 710 new cases on December 21, 1,093 new cases on December 22 and 1,251 new cases on December 23.
The test positivity rate now stands at 14% way above the 0.7% it was at the start of this month.
Uganda which has so far administered 10,121,232 doses COVID19 vaccine, last week confirmed an increase in the recorded cases of Omicron to 25 cases up from 7 cases that were initially detected by the Ministry of Health on December 7.
Either way we should open