By Benjamin Jumbe
President Museveni in an attempt to halt or reverse surging covid19 cases in the country last night banned and suspended a number of activities.
With deaths rising, daily confirmed cases have also spiked with over 1,200 registered on Sunday and majority of the infected being the young people.
The president has attributed the resurgence of the pandemic to failure by Ugandans to observe the set standard operating procedures.
For this and other reasons, the president has ordered all schools including Universities whose students were either taking exams or due to take exams to close effective this morning.
The president has ordered all learning institutions to be closed by 8 am and will remain closed for the next 42 days while all teachers will be required to be vaccinated before being allowed to return to school.
Schools were due to open for sub candidate classes and lower primary one to three today.
To facilitate the return of learners home , the president has public transport, that is buses and taxis will be allowed to operate until June 10th after which they can only operate in their individual districts.
The suspension of inter district movement of public and private transport will last for 42 days and is the ban on worship places.
Private cars will not carry more than three people.
Meanwhile, only cargo trucks with only two people, tourist and emergency service vehicles will be allowed to move between and across districts .
On security; the president has assured the country that the government will defeat any kind of criminality.
He has now announced that all traffic police officers will be armed with guns in a bid to better security and enhance possibilities of arresting and containing criminals in the country.
He however did not disclose when this will come into effect.
The president has meanwhile directed the CID boss Grace Akullo to brief the country on the status of investigations conducted in various cases involving murder of high profile people.
On Public gatherings; the president has banned all public and cultural gatherings for 42 days and restricted the number of people attending weddings.
He however hastened to add that cabinet, legislature and the Judiciary will be allowed to meet.
He also announced that House parties are banned, noting that weddings and burials will be allowed with only 20 people .
Shopping malls and hardware shops have meanwhile been allowed to continue operating but strictly follow SOPs and close at 7pm.
The president has meanwhile maintained the curfew from 9 pm to 5:30 am and boda bodas to end operations at 6pm.
