05/05/2020
May 5: Uganda awaits lockdown decision
Museveni speakS during Labour Day on Friday. He is expected to outline Uganda’s way forward in his 13th address on COVID Monday 8pm
 88 confirmed cases
 52 recoveries
 0 deaths
Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN |President Yoweri Museveni is expected to give a timeline Monday 8pm on how government will ease the country out of lockdown, but all indications are that schools will be among the last to be re-opened.
The lockdown was originally set to run until May 5, and a decision on its ease, extension or not, will likely depend on results from community tests of 20,000 Ugandans that was launched early in the week. So far only 3 people have tested positive out of the 1752 community tests done in the past four days.
Uganda’s health minister Dr Ruth Aceng and Permanent Secretary Dr Diana Atwine have just completed a tour of the country’s northern and western borders, another area of concern as are the truck drivers. Of Uganda’s current 88 confirmed cases, 29 have been truck drivers in the past fortnight.
“The markets, private and public transport… those we are discussing on how we can start easing the lockdown on them. [But] We need a comprehensive plan if we are to open schools. In some districts nearly half of the children in the schools are from neigbouring districts and countries. Uganda is an education hub, from university, tertiary. secondary to primary,” she said in Kisoro yesterday.
Schools were closed in March, 2020 on the directives of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as one of the preventive measures against the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The president later declared a total lockdown which many think could be relaxed on May 5th.
However, speaking to Kisoro district Covid-19 taskforce members at Uganda-DR Congo border of Bunagana on Saturday, Dr. Atwine says that hopes of re-opening schools for learning to resume are currently not in plan.
Dr. Atwine who also assessed the COVID-19 pre