KAMPALA — President Yoweri Museveni will address the country again today on Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 4pm, his senior press secretary Don Wanyama said.
The address that will be carried live on television and radio, Mr. Wanyama said, will be in light of confirmation of a case of COVID-19 infection in Uganda.
Health minister Dr. Ruth Jane Aceng confirmed the first coronavirus infection in Uganda on Saturday night.
“The ministry would like to inform the general public that Uganda has confirmed her first case of coronavirus disease COVID-19.”
Dr Aceng said the confirmed case is a 36 year old Ugandan male who arrived from Dubai, on Saturday March 21 2020 aboard Ethiopian Airlines.
He’s being isolated at Entebbe Grade B hospital.
To date, Dr. Aceng said a total of 1,827 travelers including Ugandans and others travelling back home have been identified as coming from high-risk countries for purposes of follow up and are under quarantine.
About 827 are completing self-quarantine while about 1,000 are under mandatory quarantine.
She reassured the general public that all measures were being undertaken to identify those that travelled with the infected person and isolate them in a timely manner.
“The passenger manifest has been retrieved and all contacts are known as we are in possession of the passports of all the travelers that came on that plane.”
The confirmation was made few hours after the President closed the country’s borders and suspended all incoming and outbound commercial passenger flights on Uganda’s territory effective Sunday, March 22 at midnight for at least 30 days.
The ban, to begin on 22nd March also applies to Ugandan citizens trying to return home.
