Lift curfew and reopen all businesses
It is now a year since we have been living with the Covid-19 pandemic with all its effects. The impact of the pandemic have been both social and economic.
Socially, we experienced a spike in domestic violence, early child pregnancy resulting largely from redundancy, incest, early marriages and so forth.
All these came as a result of the Covid-19 induced total lockdown imposed on the country from March last year 2020.
Economically, we saw shops closing, companies collapsing and people losing jobs as much of the labour force could not be hired anymore.
There was either no work for them to engage in or there was no income being generated to afford their salaries/wages.
The unemployment trends are still getting worse, and this is very dangerous to the economy and to individuals.
There should be a solution to all this. We need to have ongoing curfew either lifted or extended and all the closed businesses opened again.
There is totally no point in people staying crowded in offices and markets all day-long and being forced to be home by 9pm in the name of preventing the spread coronavirus as if the virus only spreads at night.
Critical sectors in the country such as entertainment, education and generally the informal sector, have been greatly affected.
By 2019, according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos), the entertainment sector was contributing Shs141.5 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The informal sector is the biggest employer as it contributes over 50 per cent. The education sector by 2019 was contributing 7 per cent to the GDP. These are therefore sectors that shouldn’t be compromised on.
Renting an average commercial space in Kampala costs an average of Shs 1 million. This money can only be raised if businesses operate in the normal working hours.
It is the reason why police flogs people - both businessmen and customers at night, with endless resistance. It is the reason shopkeepers and bars close and people purchase secretly from inside.
People have to be allowed to operate their business to enable them to make ends meet. The critical part should be in everyone observing and enforcing the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
In any case, there are reports that the Covid-19 cases are currently on the decline. This, therefore, is the right time to lift the curfew.
Edmond Taremwa
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