Pre-emptying the 42-day lockdown address-Hand sanitizer is compulsory

Today Ugandans’ eyes are up in the air, waiting for President Yoweri Museveni’s address to the nation about the state of the 2nd wave of COVID-19. This comes after the 42-day lockdown slapped on the nation on 18th June, 2021.

The Drone Media has gathered that the lockdown will be lifted, but with strict rules. One of the m is that every person will be required to move with facemask and hand-sanitizer strictly.  Failure to do so will be punishable by severe penalties, including imprisonment. The hand sanitizer is to make individuals sanitize the virus every time they come in contact with each other.

Meanwhile, this week the National Planning Authority (NPA) advised government to lift the ban on public and private transport in the greater Kampala metropolitan area (GKMA) and the new cities.

“With GKMA contributing about 60% of the country’s GDP, this option, together with the opening up of other cities and/or their metropolis will aid in gradually reviving the economy while keeping and adding on to the health benefits that have been gained over the last 42 days,” said Dr. Joseph Muvawala, the NPA Executive Director.

Through, its weekly projection of COVID infection, the NPA however, noted that this could only work if the government keeps in place the other containment measures of school closure, prohibition of public gatherings and places of worship closure, and restricts movements across the borders by only letting in essential goods.

“This measure will bring the cases down to a daily average of about 60 new cases and weekly average of about 400,” the NPA predicted.

It warned that if the economy if fully reopened; the country will register a spike in COVID new cases with the average new infections reaching 500 cases per day and 2,000 per week within 28 days of reopening.

“This measure (full reopening) is good in reviving the economy but will reverse all the health benefits obtained in the last 42 days in terms of containing the COVID-19 spread. Within 28 days new cases will average about 500 cases per day with a weekly average of around 2,000. This measure will take the country directly into the 3rd COVID wave,” said Muvawala.