Namugongo: This year’s Martyrs day celebrations cancelled over Coronavirus

The Uganda Episcopal Conference has announced that this year’s Martyrs days celebrations have been cancelled due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

“.. the celebrations at Namugongo require frequent meetings involving several people including government security agencies. Further, it demands unfettered movements of persons participating in the organization of the event. Above all, with the virus still alive in many countries including Uganda, it is not certain when restrictions on gatherings and movements will be lifted,” a letter by Rt.Rev. Joseph Anthony Zziwa, the chairman of the Uganda Episcopal Conference to read in part.

According to the Kiyinda Mityana Diocese Bishop, because of the numerous guidelines including social distancing, washing of hands and ban on gatherings put in place by government to help in preventing the spread of the virus, it is not possible for this year’s martyrs days celebrations to be held without violating the guidelines.

“In view of the above difficulties and uncertainty, I trust that you understand the situation and accept to postpone the Uganda Martyrs day which was supposed to be held in May and June 2020. The conference will later come up with another arrangement.

This year's celebrations are the 56th since 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic converts to Christianity were killed on orders of then Buganda king, Mwanga II between  1885 and 1887.

Masaka Diocese was supposed to organise the 2020 celebrations.

The development comes at a time when the country is still under lockdown but President Museveni on Tuesday said the mass testing exercise which is ongoing will inform authorities on the next course of action.

Earlier, the Minister for Health, Dr.Jane Ruth Aceng revealed that government is targeting 20,000 people in the mass testing exercise.

Termed as the Rapid Assessment Survey, the exercise is aimed at assessing the prevalence of the deadly virus among Ugandan communities.

“…we need to get vital information that will form part of the decisions for lifting the lockdown. It therefore becomes extremely important that we carry out a survey basing on certain groups of people that are vulnerable to Covid-19,”Aceng said.

According to the minister, the survey will target truck drivers and communities along their routes, border crossings and their communities, health workers, market vendors, weigh bridge areas and communities around, religious leaders, roads law enforcement officers including Police, LDUs and the UPDF.

The tests will also be carried out on police and prison cells, teachers from selected schools( both day and boarding), taxi drivers and fishing communities.

Uganda’s confirmed Coronavirus cases are now at 81 whereas the recoveries are at 52 since the first person to be confirmed with the virus in the country in March.