Curfew not lifted as places of worship, salons, arcades remain closed- Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni has said places of worship, salons and arcades will remain closed for another period of 21 days as a measure to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.

Addressing the nation on the situation of the virus in the country, Museveni said the country, especially in the capital Kampala is getting new cases within the population suspected to be from truck drivers and infiltrators from neighbouring countries using porous borders.

“As you can see, the number of drivers that are testing positive is reducing. Unfortunately, we are getting new positives cases from within the population that is mostly linked to either the drivers or the infiltrators from the neighbouring countries,” Museveni said.

“Since many people end up in Kampala and with the opening of the public transport system, although with some restrictions, we are beginning to see cases in Kampala. The number is now 37. We are, therefore, entering a more dangerous phase.

Arcades

Museveni said arcades are densely populated with multiple entrances making it possible for them to allow in very many types of people to enter and in case of any infection, these can’t be traced.

He, therefore, said it is not wise to open them now.

“The arcades are interconnected and the ventilation is poor, which increases the risk of transmission of Covid-19. The ability to enforce physical distancing is difficult. The multiple entrances compounded with the convergence of people make it difficult to track people in case of contact tracing,” he said.

He however asked the national task force to talk to the Ministry of Health, Trade, and KCCA to engage with arcade owners to identify potential arcades to pilot prevention procedures for possible reopening.

Salons

The president explained that because these collect people from all walks of life, it is not wise to reopen them now since it makes it difficult to trace any contacts in case of any infections.

“The restrictions on salons should be maintained given the experiences elsewhere. Salons have been documented to spread infections in other countries like Ebola in West Africa and Covid-19 in the US, among others.”

Places of worship

President Museveni said whereas he has received many calls to have places of worship opened, it is still not wise to do so because it would lead to the spread of the virus.

He said places of worship are characterized by clustering with many people of unknown risk from multiple points of origin and converging in closed places which increases the risk of spread of the virus.

Curfew to stay

In the past, many people have argued that curfew should be lifted to at least 10 pm but the president didn’t buy the idea.

He noted that the reason for imposing curfew was not only to ensure security but also to prevent the spread of the virus.

“The aim of the curfew was primarily to act as an enforcement tool to prevent high-risk nocturnal activities/establishments like bars and nightclubs from conducting business and to deter crime under the cover of darkness,” he said.

“The idea is to discourage gatherings in homes, hotels, restaurants, etc. Going home early and staying home the whole night is part of the prevention. It means less mixing. The curfew time is, therefore, strategic to reduce the risk of spread and preempt crime.”