KAMPALA — Passenger train services in Uganda’s capital Kampala have resumed after the country lifted a 42-day lockdown on July 30 following a reduction in the COVID-19 infection rate.
Deo Kyomya, the Uganda Railways Corporation commercial manager, told Xinhua by telephone they had deployed two trains to carry passengers along two busy routes in the city.
Kyomya said two coaches will ply each route during the morning and evening rush hours. Each coach, according to Kyomya, will carry 50 percent of its capacity as directed by government in efforts to ease congestion, which is a recipe of spreading the virus.
“We have SOPs (standard operating procedures) in place to guard against the spread of the virus. Each coach will have space for 65 passengers. No mask no boarding,” Kyomya said.
Government during the lockdown suspended public and private transport amidst a spike in COVID-19 cases.
In early June, the country was registering over 1,000 cases of COVID-19 daily but the number reduced to about 70 cases registered every day in late July, according to ministry of health.
