Five hotels closed in Mbarara over COVID-19 cases

MBARARA - The Police in Mbarara city have closed five prominent hotels in town for 14 days after information leaked that they hosted COVID-19 positive persons with their primary contacts.
 
The hotels that were closed are Acacia Hotel on Mbarara-Ntungamo road, Rwampara Suites on Tatirwe road, Leisure Park International Hotel on Tataitwe in Kakoba, African Guest House and Golden Monkey located in Nyamityobora ward, all in Kakoba. 
 
The closure came after COVID-19 test results of two people - a staff of Uganda Revenue Authority attached to Bunagana border and his driver - turned positive.
 
Before the closure of the hotels, Mbarara district COVID-19 taskforce first held an impromptu meeting at the Resident District Commissioner's office which was closed from media and a decision was reached to close these hotels for 14 days and staffs therein to be quarantined while others be subjected to mandatory testing.

Emmy Kateera Turyabagyenyi, the deputy RDC, the Police and Dr. Peter Ssebutinde, the District Health Officer, led the team in an operation that saw the hotels closed.
 
While addressing a press conference later after the operation, Kateera revealed that on July 29, 2020 a staff of URA attached to Bunagana Border was driving to Kampala with his driver but when he reached in Mbarara, he booked in for accommodation at Acacia Hotel.
However, the driver booked in at Africa Guest House where he slept. 

"But before their departure at Bunagana Border they had been subjected to COVID-19 test, and results came out while they were already in Mbarara confirming that the driver tested positive for COVID-19," said Kateera.
 
He added: "The driver was evacuated from Africa Guest House and is currently admitted at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, whereas the URA staff has been taken for quarantine for 14 days with his primary contacts from Acacia Hotel."

Kateera further revealed that on the same day, another Ugandan who was working in Tanzania as a money changer but a resident of Kiruhura found his way to Mbarara and that no official record was showing that he passed through the gazetted border point.
 
"When he reached Mbarara, he slept at Leisure Park International Hotel. The next day he changed the hotel and slept at Golden Monkey Guest House. For the reasons known to him, he decided to go and test for COVID-19 at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital. Results turned out positive and he has also been admitted," Kateera added.
 
"We shall not allow any person to enter or leave the hotels because we have deployed our officers to man the premises. This implies that the virus is within Mbarara and our people had relaxed on ensuring that presidential directives are adhered too," said Kateera.

He confirmed that five staffs at Acacia hotel have been taken to Quarantine whereas other employees at other hotels are going to be subjected to mandatory testing.

Mbarara risks to be locked down

Kateera warned that if at all Mbarara continues to register more positive cases of similar nature, they might recommend for another lockdown for Mbarara and closure of all public places such as shops, hotels and restaurants.
 
"Because we cannot afford to risk community infections by allowing people to freely move," warned Kateera.

Ssebutinde said they had been over stretched in maintaining people in the quarantine since they did not have enough resources.

Ssebutinde due to limited resources, they had suspended institutional quarantine, preferring home quarantine due to lack of funds from government to cater for their welfare.
 
"But with these two cases we have received and primary contacts, we cannot afford to have primary contacts in home quarantine, we had to reopen the quarantine where we now have five primary contacts. We have 11 cases at Mbarara regional referral hospital but the good thing is that they are stable," said Ssebutinde.