Leaders ask President to ease Ebola restrictions – Monitor
State Minister for Information Godfrey Kabyanga (R) and Mubende District Woman MP Hope Grania Kazibwe witness dispatches of the first batch of relief food for locked down districts of Mubende and Kassanda on October 29, 2022. PHOTO | DAN WANDERA
By Dan Wandera
Reporter
Daily Monitor
Leaders in Mubende District have asked President Museveni to ease the restrictions instituted to curb the spread of Ebola.
In an interview with Daily Monitor yesterday, the leaders said while the lockdown helped to curb the spread of Ebola, many families lost their sources of livelihood.
Mr Michael Ntambi Muhereza, the Mubende LC5 chairperson, said: “The challenge with the extended lockdown is that a number of households have no food yet the children are home for holidays.”
Ms Grania Hope Nakazibwe, the Mubende District Woman MP, said the recent 21-day lockdown extension was a bit high-handed. She added that a number of stakeholders were not consulted on the matter.
“I believe that we had a chance to get relaxed restrictions to offer the people of Mubende some lease of life after enduring the last 42 days of the lockdown,” she said.
One of the most affected sectors is the transport industry.
Mr Innocent Ssekiziyivu, the Mubende Municipality mayor, said transport operators in his area live hand-to-mouth and the lockdown has left many starving.
“I have more than 35,000 boda boda cyclists in Mubende municipality while the taxi operators range between 3,000 and 5,000 people. All these people have dependents and are now asking for possible relief food which is not available,” he said.
The Mubende Resident District Commissioner, who is also the chairperson of the Ebola taskforce in the district, Ms Rosemary Byabasaija, said several businesses collapsed during the lockdown.
“We shall wait for a word from the higher office. My office has forwarded the concerns of both the leaders and residents,” she said.
When contacted on the matter, Mr Sandor Walusimbi, the presidential press secretary, said: “I believe that the President will update the nation on the Ebola outbreak tomorrow December 2 at 8pm. Let us wait for the address.”
According to the Mubende District Ebola taskforce, only one Ebola patient is admitted at the Ebola treatment unit while the number of confirmed cases is now 142. Fifty Six people have succumbed to the disease.
Lockdown
On October 15, President Museveni instituted a 21-day lockdown over the districts of Mubende and Kassanda, which were the epicentre of Ebola. Other restrictions include a dusk-to-dawn curfew, a ban on public transport, and the closure of markets, bars and churches.
On November 27, Mr Museveni extended the lockdown for another 21 days.
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