As the population comes to terms with a 14-day lockdown as directed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Museveni, he has cautioned alcohol addicts against drinking sanitizers.
The disinfectants which are currently being used to clean hands to kill the virus contain 80% alcohol.
Government engaged alcohol manufacturers to begin producing sanitizers after the President closed bars and other happening places around the country.
He said bars were breeding ground for the virus as drunkards sit near and spit at each other.
By the time the President announced the closure, sellers of sanitizers had hiked the prices while others had run out of stock.
The Investment Minister Evelyn Anite thus engaged alcohol manufacturers to instead produce the disinfectant.
Clarifying on several directives he issued Monday, Museveni addressing the nation on Tuesday commended the alcohol manufacturers saying they had become useful.
Below are the clarifications.
1) Supermarkets open minus the private vehicles how do we access them?
Museveni: walk to your nearest supermarket or shop. We have many of those in the country and will operate with SOPs… This is to avoid àbuse of private vehicles.
Secondly, we encourage home deliveries through boda bodas and other delivery vehicles or bicycles. Vehicle mobility with persons is our greatest danger now as it aids spread
2) Curfew: curfew started today not yesterday. That is from 19:00hrs today until 06:30hrs tomorrow. This is supposed to cover the times when it’s dark
3) Diplomatic vehicle: I forgot to discuss this last night, the committee headed by the PM will handle this… Aided by Foreign Affairs. These vehicles are marked and owners should inform the committee prior to setting off for supermarkets, hospitals and back
4) Protective gear for Health Workers in Kampala and upcountry: we are making arrangements for local production of the same to enable us protect the lives of our Frontline officers in this fight. Alcohol producers in Uganda are now making sanitizers… In the same way we can solve the PPE for the Frontline officers
5) Relief Food: most farmers and town based persons can feed themselves. This relief will target the hand-to-mouth survival category and will go for a period of one month. This will be done by the national task force. Severe measures will be taken against opportunistic persons that will facilitate spread of the disease by congregating people. Contributions should be channeled through the TaskForce
6) Vehicle Impounding: it was deliberate to have it done immediately. To avoid possible transfer of infection from one district to another place. Ugandans are quick to identify loops and play with them hence the need to be drastic and abrupt.
Police, I instruct you to release the vehicles impounded as I have given amnesty to the casualties from yesterday’s operation
7) Mass Testing: mass testing is meaningless and also very expensive. Each test is USD65 for one person which is unsustainable….
8) Upcountry Suspects: health officers that are running away from patients are probably doing it due to insufficient PPE, this will soon be addressed.
9) Official Categories: some were arrested today on their way to work. This was due to absence of stickers from Ministry of Transport. Once stickers are given, you can then move freely.
10) Weddings: large weddings were banned, however, scientific weddings are allowed that limit number of persons including priest, bride and groom to 10. Gatherings of 5 are limited to the youth in town
11) RDCs should designate officers to handle public interactions in this critical time.
12) Banks: Managers will get stickers from the Ministry of Works and Transport to enable them get to work. Cashless transactions should be promoted–mobile money and téléphone banking. They will have only one person per car
13) Public Service: how can they refuse to surrender their vehicles? Non-compliant Public Service Officers will be arrested. The LCV who slapped the RDC should be arrested
14) Media are part of the essential services and should continue operating within the guidelines and SOPs
15) Construction services: If they don’t have materials, let them wait for the 14 days quarantine period to end
16) Acholi Cultural Leaders should stop what they are doing. This is science based not spiritual…… Minister Presidency should engage the Rwot Achan to stop the negative
17) 44 Positive cases of COVID-19 in Uganda. The 11 new cases were all under quarantine.
