Show us a clear plan on economy reopening-  JEEMA asks gov’t

Opposition Justice Forum (JEEMA) party has asked government to table an elaborate plan detailing the reopening of the economy next month.

President Museveni who will address the country tomorrow is expected to announce the full reopening of the economy which has been closed for over two years since the break out of the Covid pandemic that has battered several economies in the world.

However, addressing journalists on Thursday, JEEMA spokesperson, Ssentongo Kyamundu said whereas government intends to reopen the economy, all signs indicate that there is no clear and laid out plan by government to effect this.

“As schools were closed during the lockdown, many teachers have died during the closure whereas others have quit the profession into other gainful employment such as brick laying and vending.  What is government’s plan to address all this? How will those teachers who left the profession be lured back?  For those who stayed but have nowhere to begin, what is government going to do for them,”Kyamundu asked.

“Some private education providers have sold their schools or hired them into other ventures like shopping malls and rental homes. Does government have plan to address this and see that they return to teach our children?”

According to the JEEMA spokesperson, there should be a deliberate government program to ensure there is a recovery package for both teachers and schools since they have been hit badly by the effects of the pandemic like the lockdown and subsequent economy closure.

The opposition political party said there needs to be deliberate efforts to resuscitate other sectors of life including businesses which have not operated for more than two years since the closure of the economy.

JEEMA said the reopening of the economy should not only end in words but rather efforts to ensure all those affected by the closure return to life.

“We request that government extends interest free loans to schools and all businesses that have mostly been affected by the closure of the economy. This will ensure they are reawakened.”

Reopening

President Museveni is tomorrow Friday expected to announce the reopening of the economy that has been closed for over two years since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Whereas experts had asked the president to delay the reopening for at least two more weeks to allow them examine the prevalence of the new Omicron Covid variant but also to enable a sizeable number of the targeted population get vaccinated, Museveni is expected to stick to his earlier promise of reopening next month.

However, the head of state is expected to emphasize adherence to Standard Operating Procedures as a way to prevent the spread of the virus as the economy reopens.