Coronavirus: Govt suspends labour export

CORONAVIRUS

Ugandans who are looking to work abroad will have to wait for a while as the government has suspended the externalization of labor abroad for a period of 32 days as one of the means of preventing the spread of coronavirus.

The statement was made by the minister of State for Gender, Labor and Social Development, Mwesigwa Rukutana on Friday while addressing the press.  

"Effective March 18, 2020, externalisation of labour has been suspended to countries like United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Somalia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Afghanistan, and Iraq," Rukutana said.

He added that during the period of suspension of externalization of labor, the situation will be closely monitored in liaison with the embassies of the destination countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as our diplomatic representation abroad.

The Ministry will also continue to perform other assignments required to the externalisation, although no one will be cleared for travel. 

However, concerning all labor migrant workers returning from the high-risk countries, the minister said that they will be subjected to terms and conditions set by the Ministry of Health which is a mandatory quarantine for 14 days.

Labor export has been one of the booming businesses in Uganda with hundreds of thousands of Ugandans currently working abroad in countries like United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, however, with the temporary halt on externalization of labor, Ugandans wishing to travel will have to wait since no one will be cleared to travel for the next 32 days as issued by the government.