Masaka traders reopen shops in arcades

MASAKA- A section of traders who operate in shopping arcades in Masaka Town have defied government directives not to operate as a measure to control the spread of coronavirus.

Last month, President Museveni allowed retail, general merchandise shops and shopping malls to reopen, but said arcades would be closed until further notice.

But traders in major shopping arcades in Masaka including Muto Complex, Kayondo Plaza and Twin Tower have not heeded the directive for over a week.

According to Mr Vincent Zziwa Kasumba, the chairperson Masaka Traders Association, traders and the general public can hardly differentiate between a shopping mall and an arcade.

“The explanation by Trade Minister, Ms Amelia Kyambadde in regard to shopping malls and arcades made us realise that in Masaka, we have shopping malls, not arcades. Our shops in those buildings are spacious and people can operate without being congested," he said at the weekend.

To explain the difference between arcades and shopping malls ,Ms Kyambadde said that malls have ample parking space, while arcades are congested and lack convenient parking space.

The minister said malls have two major entrances and one emergency exit, but arcades have multiple entrances and exits.
Ms Kyambadde said that malls have spacious outlets of 40 square metres with at least one occupant per unit, while arcades are relatively smaller at 20 square metres with multiple occupants.

Mr Henry Mulumba, a trader operating in one of the arcades in Masaka Town, said since business in Kikuubo, a busy and congested shopping hub in Kampala is open, they have no problem to resume business in Masaka arcades that are never congested.

He said all traders operating in arcades have hand washing facilities and observe social distancing and other measures meant to curtail the spread of the disease.

However, the Masaka Resident District Commissioner, Mr Herman Ssentongo, who also heads the district COVID-19 task force said that he received information that some traders in arcades had re-opened their shops which he said is illegal.

“I am wondering why our people can't be patient and we collectively fight this virus. I have already asked security operatives to close all those shops in arcades," He said.

Masaka is among the first districts that recorded Covid-19 cases in March after a businessman who had returned from the United Arab Emirates infected his wife and a daughter in Nyendo, a Masaka Town suburb.

Although the trio and 13 other patients have since recovered and discharged, more Covid-19 patients continue to be admitted to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital and by Saturday, the facility had 29 patients.
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