WASHINGTON DC – The Uganda embassy in Washington DC, USA, has embarked on registering Ugandans in US, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean who are unable to return home due to the lockdown over coronavirus.
In a notice issued by Ambassador Mull S Katende on Thursday, April 16, such individuals may include students or Research Fellows who have completed their studies or programmes and short-term visitors / non-immigrant visa holders of all categories whose travel plans were disrupted by border closures.
“This exercise does NOT include Ugandans who already have a settled status in the United States of America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean or had no plans to return to Uganda,” the notice reads in part.
Those affected are supposed to send contact details, including the following; their names and Residential & Work Place or institutional addresses in Uganda; Current physical address and telephone contact in their host country; Copy of bio-data page of the Ugandan passport, Scanned page of the relevant host country visa; Copy of return air ticket (where available); and Particulars of current sponsoring persons or institutions (in case of groups and students).
“Please send your details to the following email addresses: info@ugandaembassyus.org or washington@mofa.go.ug with the subject: ‘Registration of Stranded Ugandan Nationals’.
This information should be submitted preferably by 24th April 2020. You can visit our website (Washington.mofa.go.ug) for any updates on covid-19 and other communication,” the notice adds.
It is not immediately clear what the embassy will do for the group. Early this week, President Museveni hinted that the group may be evacuated and quarantined in Uganda.
At the thick of the coronavirus pandemic in China, the government of Uganda sent pocket money to Ugandan students stuck in Wuhan, the epicentre of the disease.