Ministry of health driver arrested for flouting Ebola lockdown

The Ministry of Health has condemned one of their drivers, who was arrested while attempting to transport people from Mubende District, which is under lockdown to contain the spread of the Ebola virus to Kampala. 

In an interview with this publication yesterday, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, said: “The driver has been arrested by the police. The Ministry of Health condemns the driver’s irresponsible conduct.”
The driver, who was operating a Ministry of Health coaster bus, was detected by the police loading passengers into the vehicle on the Mubende-Kampala Road.
This contravenes a presidential directive that prohibits the public from travelling to and out of the district. 
Last Saturday, President Museveni imposed a 21-day lockdown in the districts of Kassanda and Mubende to contain the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease.

The President also imposed travel restrictions, especially for public vehicles. Authorised vehicles like ambulances and government vehicles were also instructed not to transport passengers out of the district.
The Wamala Region police spokesperson, Ms Racheal Kawala, said the driver has been detained at Mubende Central Police Station on charges of doing a negligent act likely to cause the spread of an infectious disease. 

Measures
“The police in Mubende have impounded the Ministry of Health vehicle. This vehicle was sighted by our teams on patrol in the district,” Ms Kawala said yesterday. 
The government official announced the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Mubende District on September 20. Since then 64 people have contracted the virus, according to the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng. At least 25 people have succumbed to the virus. 
On Monday, a Link Bus driver was arrested after he allowed two passengers to board the vehicle at Kagarama Stage in Myanzi Sub-county, Kassanda District.  The bus was travelling from Bundibugyo District to Kampala City.  The passengers were also detained by the police.
Most of the Ebola cases originated from Madudu Sub-county in Mubende District. This includes members of the same family who attended the funeral of one of their own who succumbed to the virus.

However, many of the family members were hesitant to follow advice from health officials to self-isolate and one even went to Luweero District to seek medical assistance when his health started worsening.
He later died at Kiruddu Hospital in Kampala and was buried in Mubende.
 This prompted the government to put all the deceased’s contacts in the districts of Kampala, Luweero and Mubende under state quarantine.