Uganda opens places of worship, keeps schools shut

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ordered the reopening of worship centers on Wednesday, but only with strict adherence to Covid-19 regulations to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further.

“Places of worship can now open under stringent limitations, such as restricting the number of people to 200 and complying to all other SOPs in place,” he stated.

The number of individuals allowed to attend weddings and other social gatherings was expanded to 200, and casinos, gaming, betting shops, and gyms were permitted to open during the day and close by 6 p.m.

Mr Museveni also authorized weekly and monthly markets to open, as long as the Covid-19 regulations were strictly followed.

Mr Museveni, on the other hand, has kept other areas closed, claiming that the number of persons who have previously been vaccinated is still too low to risk fully reopening.

“Before we open schools, we must first vaccinate the 4.8 million priority population, which includes teachers. Post-secondary institutions will open on November 1, 2021, assuming that all instructors and non-teaching personnel have been vaccinated. “The remaining educational institutions will open in January 2022,” he stated.

To date, 269,945 of the 550,000 targeted teachers have gotten the first dosage of the vaccine, with 96,653 receiving the second dose.

“I, therefore, direct responsible leaders at the district level (Resident District Commissioners, Chief Administrative Officers, District Health Officers, and others) to carry out mobilisation for all eligible groups to go for vaccination. If medicines get expired in your area, I will deal with you,” Mr Museveni said.

The Ugandan president maintained curfew time between 7pm and 5am.