Covid-19: Now not time to lower our guard

Covid-19 saw a number of Ugandans lose jobs and incomes which affected standards of living. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Covid-19. 
  • Our view:  Despite the seeming downward trend, the battle has not yet been won. Experts warn that Uganda could see an increase in coronavirus infections despite the lockdown. With only five per cent of the targeted population vaccinated.

A month ago, President Museveni announced a total lockdown – the second in just over a year – following a resurgence of Covid-19 cases and deaths.

The announcement came as the country faced a vicious second wave of the pandemic that has so far infected more than 89,080 people and claimed at least 2,249 lives.

The measures that came six months after government had started easing restrictions included a ban on public and private transport, reintroduction of 7pm-5am curfew, closure of leisure hubs such as casinos, beaches and gyms, were reintroduced after 25,685 cases were recorded between May 18 and June 18.

But following a recent downward trend in registered cases, some people are forgetting too soon the tragic consequences of the pandemic.

It was only a few weeks ago that our healthcare system was stretched to its limit. Hospitals ran short of medical oxygen due to high demand because of the surge in numbers of Covid-19 patients in high dependency units (HDUs) and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) across the country.

The public was up in arms as private hospitals moved in to fill the void of shortage of Covid-19 beds and profit from the pandemic; and frontline medical workers protested over lack of medical supplies like personal protective equipment (PPEs) and non-payment of their allowances from October 2020 to June 2021.

But all that now seems forgotten as complacency is kicking in. Only this week, security officers raided a renowned stripper’s club at Busega, a suburb of Kampala, and arrested 120 revellers. Similar arrests of 30 more revellers were made across bars in Mbale on Thursday.

Across the country, more than 2,180 people were arrested last week for violating lockdown measures and the curfew, police announced.

In the city, residents continue to flout the standard operating procedures and the authorities have been forced to close two prominent shopping malls. 

Kampala dwellers are flocking to the city centre and there is an increase in traffic by the day despite the ban on public transport.

Despite the seeming downward trend, the battle has not yet been won. Experts warn that Uganda could see an increase in coronavirus infections despite the lockdown. With only five per cent of the targeted population vaccinated, experts caution that we are still a long way out of the Covid-19 trap.

We urge the public not to lower their guard now that the cases seem to be going down, but rather continue wearing facemasks correctly, washing hands with soap, or sanitising, and keeping both physical and social distance.