Taskforce urges patience among Kazo residents

KAZO | COVID-19 | EDUCATION

Residents of Kazo district who are agitating for opening of schools, markets and places of worship should be patient and continue adhering to health ministry guidelines and presidential directives seeking to stop spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) until the virus is defeated or when government advises otherwise, the Kazo acting resident district commissioner (RDC), Nicholas Kamukama, has advised.

He explained that some people from different areas, especially those with businesses like private school operators and weekly market traders among others, were calling for easing all the measures aimed at helping to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

"I want to advise our people to be patient and join hands with other Ugandans to fight the pandemic... Opening of the schools, markets and places worship can erode all the gains Uganda has made in fight against the virus," said Kamukama.  

The RDC was speaking during the weekly Kazo district Covid-19 taskforce meeting at the district headquarters recently.

He added that removal of these measures before Covid-19 before has been completely defeated has been counterproductive and costly in countries that opened fully only to record surge in infections and then reinstate the lockdown.

For those calling for the opening of the schools, such a move would "present us a huge problem as parents and as a country since this exposes the children to risk of infection when they are far away from us," explained Kamukama the district taskforce chairman during his communication.

He added, "In case a child gets infected, the parents cannot be able to access or support them. Besides, an outbreak in schools could overstretch the healthcare system and put the country in precarious situation." 

The education ministry last week informed stakeholders that schools would remain closed as long as the Covid-19 pandemic risk persists.

Uganda has so far recorded 1,000 positive cases of Covid-19 as of July 8, and no death.

COVID-19 directives enforcement suffers as funds dry up

Meanwhile, the taskforce called for full facilitation of security agencies led by the Police to ensure enforcement of the measures that seek to stop the spread of the virus. 

Kazo DPC Kelly Kinene and his security colleagues had earlier told the meeting that the Police were constrained as they don't have funds to buy fuel for patrols to enforce the directives or respond to emergencies.

The committee heard that people had taken to pre-Covid-19 way of life, with many bar operators and revellers, boda riders and travelling public openly defying the directives.

Hand-washing, social distancing and curfew rules have all fallen casuality to this relaxity, the taskforce heard.

This situation had also fueled crimes as one person was recently killed at bar in the middle of the night, while cases of animals thefts have risen.

Call for food donations

In a related development, the taskforce has called on the public to support its activities by donating food for the needy. According to some of the members, they are pockets of people in the district that still needed food aid.

Aminadamu Muhindo, the Kiruhura RDC who also supervises Kazo, called for caution, saying the groups must be fully assessed to establish if their claims of lacking means to get own food are genuine. He advised those staying in towns but failing to provide own food to return to their respective villages.

Buy own face mask

Muhindo has, meanwhile, urged residents to buy own face masks as they wait for government supplies. He said that with or without government supplied face masks, a person needs at least two face masks, explaining that in case "you forgets to wash one, you have an alternative face mask to use for the day."