Covid-19: Eastern towns abandoned

The ever busy streets of Mbale and other neighbouring towns in eastern region remain silent and abandoned as a result of the coronavirus scare.

By yesterday morning, only a few people, looking tired and evidently buried in their thoughts, could be seen walking slowly, on the normally bustling streets of Mbale Town.

Most of them, majority women, were seen in hordes of twos or threes. As they walked, they would interact, but in hushed voices, perhaps not to be heard.

The police and army officers were also seen deployed heavily in the towns and on the outskirts to enforce a two- week nationwide lockdown in a bid to combat further spread of the deadly coronavirus.

The Elgon Region police spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika, told Daily Monitor that police and other security agencies were doing everything to ensure the presidential directives are respected.

“We are implementing the presidential directives to its fullest in order to combat Covid-19 spread, which is a global threat to humanity,” he said.
On the Tororo-Mbale Road, life was not as usual as busy areas such as Nauyo-Bugema, Bunghokho, Busiu, Lwaboba, among others, were deserted.

“We are in panic mood. Shops have been closed. People are in doors,” Mr James Wakoko, a resident of Nauyo-Bugema, said in a telephone interview.
Ms Judith Nandutu, a vendor at Mbale Central Market, said they have no customers.
“We are happy the President allowed us to operate but there are no customers. People are not in town,” she said.

Ms Jane Wanyanye, another vendor, said the two-week lockdown period is too long.
“This needs to be revisited,” she said.
Mr James Okello, a shop attendant at Tororo Central Market, said the government should provide essential foods items to the needy families before they starve to death.

“The government stopped politicians [from distributing] food items to the needy. Let them [government] provide the food items early enough,” he said.
However, the Mbale Resident District, Mr Barasa Ogajo, said President Museveni’s directive is a law because he is the fountain of honour.

The Namisindwa District RDC, Mr Moses Kigai Wamoto, said they are implementing the presidential directive on having only vendors dealing in food items remain working.
“We will arrest any body found acting contrary to the issued directives,” Mr Wamoto said.

Institutional quarantine

In a related development, the Tororo District response taskforce on coronavirus has recommended for the relocation of institutional quarantine facility for coronavirus cases from private hotels to government institutions.

The decision was arrived at during a district response taskforce crisis meeting on Monday.
The meeting, chaired by the Tororo RDC, Mr Nickson Owole, agreed that the facility be shifted from Grand View Hotel, and Gloria Guest Gouse in Malaba to Mukuju Core Primary Teachers College Tororo.

“We don’t want a situation where some people fail to pay for their stay in the hotel,” Mr Owole, said.

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