City traders protest plan for another lockdown

Kampala City Traders Association (Kacita) have protested any future plan by government to reinstate the Covid-19 lockdown, saying Ugandans can now live with the pandemic.
Kacita asked government to consider holding accountable the landlords whose premises have been cited for violating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for prevention of Covid-19 instead of focusing only on traders.
Mr Thadeus Musoke Keno, the Kacita secretary general, yesterday said the previous lockdown had shattered the traders’ livelihood and businesses, adding that the reinstatement would be tragic, unreasonable and ruinous.
“Kacita strongly disagrees with any programme or arrangement of calling for a second lockdown. The lockdown is not the best alternative. Other countries like United States of America, Germany and Kenya have managed to live with the virus amid high cases [and deaths],” he said.
“Traders have just acquired more loans to meet their rental and bank obligations. Getting them to another lockdown without providing a solution is a big threat not only to the business community but the entire country,” Mr Musoke added.
He blamed government for failing to mitigate the interest rates and penalties that banks are imposing on traders who acquired loans before the lockdown.

Infections
Kampala metropolitan area has more than 540 cases out of the 2,362 national Covid-19 infections, making it the country’s epicentre.
“Kampala is the sitting room for Uganda, if we see that the sitting room is going to endanger the bedrooms, we shall ask the sitting room to be closed to safeguard the bedroom,” Ms Betty Amongi, the Kampala minister, told journalists last week.
Following the increasing Covid cases being reported in arcades in Kampala, government last week sent a warning threatening to close at least 58 of those that were violating the SOPs.
“We would request that all those personalities and arcades that are not complying be held accountable strongly by enforcement that should include both army, police and KCCA,” Mr Musoke said.
He cited Mr Drake Lubega, one of the city landlords, as failing to enforce the preventive measures such as handwashing and temperature screening at entry points of his buildings.
He said such people are putting traders at a bigger risk because if government closes the arcades, it is the traders who suffer most.
Mr Musoke also cited concerns that people who were employed to man the temperature screening and handwashing at entry points of shopping arcades and other commercial buildings in town left because they were not paid.
When contacted, Mr Lubega blamed the traders and people accessing the arcades for failing to comply with THE SOPs. “I have done everything I can. I can’t ensure compliance as an individual. Kacita should sensitise traders on compliance. I have recruited 68 employees to operationalise the SOPs such as temperature screening and handwashing,” Mr Lubega said.
When Daily Monitor visited Qualicel, one of the arcades he owns, the hand washing and temperature screening were ongoing at the four entry points of the building.
It is not clear whether the arcade started enforcing the SOPs for fear of being closed again.
Mr Musoke, however, said they have established Covid-19 task force for each arcade, and will intensify sensitisation of traders to adhere to SOPs.

No lockdown
The Health minister, Dr Ruth Jane Aceng, yesterday dismissed reports of another lockdown, saying government had not discussed it.

“There was no Cabinet meeting. Cabinet is on recess. Those are rumours and they are baseless. What we have been telling the population is that they need to adhere to the guidelines. I will continue to make the calls if they do not adhere to them. When they get sick and they are dying, they will remember I said them,” Dr Aceng said.

Additional reporting by Nobert Natukunda