Museveni, IGAD leaders meet, resolve to formulate response strategy on coronavirus
President Museveni and fellow leaders from Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries have held a video conference meeting in which they brainstormed on how to collectively combat the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
Together, the 8 IGAD counties have a total of 133 cases with Kenya at 50 and Uganda at 33 leading.
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The Monday virtual meeting was attended by Yoweri Museveni(Uganda), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Abiy Ahmed Ali (Ethiopia), Ismail Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Somalia), Salva Kiir Mayadirt who was represented by Riek Machar (S.Sudan), and Abdalla Hamdok (Sudan) and made a number of resolutions.
“The meeting resolved to collectively formulate a comprehensive regional response strategy and an accompanying implementation plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the IGAD region that also incorporates the protection of populations and special groups that face difficulties accessing the national health systems such as IDPs, refugees and migrants,” the joint communiqué says.
The leaders also agreed to establish an IGAD emergency fund for the control and prevention of pandemic diseases but also expedite the adoption of a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in IGAD member states.
“The meeting resolved to strengthen the IGAD regional mechanism for responding to the outbreak of pandemic diseases through increased capacitation of the regional disease surveillance, early warning and response system.”
They also agreed to mobilize medical professionals and support from the IGAD community in the diaspora to join the fight against the COVID19 pandemic in the region but to also facilitate an enabling environment for strengthening national public health systems in IGAD member states to deliver and respond to the pandemic.
In his address to fellow leaders, President Museveni told them that as they plan measures meant to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus to ensure food and industrial production are not tampered with.
Uganda is expected to announce additional measures to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic during President Museveni’s address to the nation on Monday night.
The deadly coronavirus has had a lasting effect on the economy of world since its outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
Worldwide, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases stood at about 725,000 with 34,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics earlier on Monday.
