We shall defeat coronavirus - Museveni

MUSEVENI             CORONAVIRUS

Speaking on Thursday in Moroto, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said coronavirus-COVID-19 will be defeated if Ugandans co-operate and adhere to the directives from the government.

Seated in his tent some 20 metres away from the main tent for district leaders, government officials and various officials from China among others, he said defeating the virus needs concerted efforts.

However, in the main tent, the rest sat two metres from each other as per the directives aimed at curbing deadly virus.

On his arrival at 2:00 pm Museveni waved at the handful of officials before taking up his official seat.

Museveni said he fought several wars successfully; outlining Ebola, HIV/AIDS, saying the two had come to finish up Ugandans but were tamed with a lot of commitment and will.

He said: "Though HIV does not have cure we have tried to stop several transmissions among the population."

‘Imagine, people, eating monkeys, that is how they got Ebola," Museveni said, adding that with HIV if people can avoid its address, which they know, it would be good.

He made the remarks at the commissioning of a $300m marble factory located in Nanyidik village, Rupa sub-county in the Moroto district.

Museveni said now that COVID-19 has come, we need to find ways of how to eliminate the disease.

"I sat down experts on the disease and realized the disease can be eliminated," he said.

Museveni said COVID-19 can be got by cough or sneezing and that is why we are emphasizing four metres as social distance.

"I would like to encourage people to observe this social distance," the President said.

Museveni advised Ugandans to desist from moving to public places if they realize some cough or flu, saying it's better to stay at home. "Even at home better isolate yourself from the rest of the people," he said.

He said COVID-19 was not in the country save for the people who went to Dubai and came back with the disease.

 
Hence COVID-19 is not a big problem, he says, if we can maintain the washing of hands with soap. "The only problem is to keep touching the nose, mouth and the eyes," Museveni said, insisting that the disease takes the opportunity to enter through the soft spots on a human body.

"We are going to defeat COVID - 19 soon," he added, saying so far 104 people part of the team who came from Dubai have tested negative and this is a good sign that we can eradicate the disease.

Meanwhile, Museveni has criticized Africans for oversleeping when a lot of wealth is around the continent.

"Like here in Karamoja, people were fighting for no good cause," Museveni said, adding that instead of looking at the wealth, they only saw cows that do not even produce milk.

Citing the 560 million tones of marble in Karamoja, he said if we mine only 4 million tons per year, it would take 120 years to exhaust it.

The President added that the sunbelt factory will earn Shs 30 million dollars, which means if they operate at the rate they are today without expansion.

"The government will realize about $6.2m from this money as royalties," Museveni said, adding that the government will still study the formula applied to improve on the figure.

He commended the Sunbelt group of companies for the initiative of constructing a marble factory in Karamoja.

The chairman Sunbelt group of companies M/s Sun said his organization has the potential to whistleblow development, attract other investors and more economic benefits to the community.

He said there was support and cooperation between the government, the company and the community the challenges crawling over their achievement of Uganda's vision 2040 will be settled," M/s Sun noted.

The minister of energy and mineral Mary Goretti Kitutu said Karamoja has a lot of potential that requires to be prioritized.

She said the commissioned factory will be connected to 132 KV by the end of June if COVID-19 is tamed soon.

The host district chairperson Moroto Andrew Keem Napaja congratulated President Museveni for the initiative to curb COVID-19, saying his commitment is an indicator that he has the people of Uganda at heart.

He added the presence of peace and development has attracted several investors in Karamoja because of the good roads that have come as a result of the tarmac roads and the presence of power in the region.

On behalf of the elders in region, Napaja said: "They will not let the President down even in the fight against the deadly COVID -19."