Ntungamo taskforce to block unvaccinated worshippers from accessing church

Believers throng Kagamba Catholic Church last month to attend the requiem mass of the district health officer, Dr Richard Bamuturaki. PHOTO | PEREZ RUMANZI

The Ntungamo Municipality Covid-19 task force has resolved to block believers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 from entering places of worship and other public places, as a measure to increase vaccination drive as well as observance of standard operating procedures.

The taskforce on Tuesday noted that with churches and mosques operating almost normally after being reopened, enforcing Covid-19 SOPs is increasingly becoming expensive with high complacency rates.  

“We need to have 100 per cent church leaders vaccinated, these are people who interact with so many people every day, they host so many people and they are everywhere. Even their believers, we must make sure whoever goes to the churches or mosques is vaccinated,” Mr Apollo Tandeka, the Ntungamo District internal security officer said during the taskforce meeting.

This follows the district taskforce resolution that no public officer shall be allowed to enter public offices especially the district building and other workplaces without producing a Covid-19 vaccination card starting November.

He said outreaches must be made at places of worship as some people may find it hard to visit health centres to get vaccinated.

The municipal health officer, Dr James Ndyanabo, said some health workers have also been shunning the vaccination thus failing to achieve the 100 per cent target of vaccinated health workers.

However, church leaders say the municipality and the Covid-19 taskforce are instead the ones to blame since as people are willing to get vaccinated but there are no vaccines. 

“For us as churches we have been mobilizing our followers to go for vaccination, but when they go to health units, they find either no vaccines or very long cues that fail them from getting the jabs. If there are vaccines we shall adhere, but if they want us vaccinated without vaccines, then what do we do,” Pr Gerald Tugume of Hope Discovery churches told Daily Monitor.

Dr Ndyanabo acknowledged that vaccine deliveries have been inadequate. He said teachers who had their first jabs are yet to receive their second, but hopes to have more doses delivered to the district at the beginning of November.