Stop harassing COVID-19 suspects - minister

The public has been warned against waging violence acts on people who are suspected to be having COVID-19 or those that have traveled from places that have the pandemic.

The warning was sounded by Doctor Henry Kyobe, an epidemiologist in UPDF. According to Kyobe, there have been many cases of mob justice especially in places where people are suspected to have COVID-19 something that is against law.

He advised the public to call the numbers that the ministry has given out such that experts from the government can rush and pick such suspects instead of people taking the law in their hands.

"For all the people who have completed their 14 days' quarantine and some who have tested negative, they are issued with certificates so the public should not doubt what government has issued out. If you still doubt, call the toll free line for clarification," Kyobe emphasised.

Dr. Aceng Jane Ruth, the Minister of Health, requested the public to put themselves in the shoes of those they are stigmatising asking how they would feel if they were the ones in such a situation.

"Today you are waging war against others because you are suspecting or they have COVID-19, how are u assured that tomorrow it is you or your family," she asked.

According to Aceng, those people you are beating could for real be infected so as you are mobbing up to beat others you are getting in contact with each other. so the only solution is keeping distance and calling the people concerned to take on any suspects.

She requested the public to ensure that they work hand in hand with each other's because we are all in this together as Ugandans. It does not restrict the rich, the poor, the young, the old or any race.

Around half of the planet's population is under some form of lockdown as governments struggle to halt the spread of a disease that has now infected more than 941,000 people while over 47,000 are known to have died according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

As of today, Uganda has no new confirmed case of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) though a total number of 44 people are affected with 1015 under follow up and institutional quarantine. And a total of 660contacts to the confirmed cases are under follow up.