Museveni Says Ugandans Don’t Have To Pay Rent Until The Lockdown Is Over

It remains the biggest headache mostly to the working class in urban areas who now are either jobless or surviving on a reduced pay, rent. While in Kenya there’s no clear cut on how to deal with the issue, in Uganda things are rather different.

While extending the lockdown in the country for 14 more days, Museveni said the government will not tolerate banks and landlords demanding loan repayments and rent from people who are not working. “They don’t have to cancel the loans and rent, they will get paid when people start working all over again.” He said.

While giving mitigation measures, the President ordered for everybody going into the public from now on will be required to wear a face mask, “because coronavirus can’t fly on its own. It travels from us through droplets, air from us. The mask on the nose and the mask stops the ride of the virus to travel through mucus.” He explained.

He also said the risks are too high for students. “Most schools are day schools and students would need public transport, for boarding schools, the dormitories are crowded”. Says he’s more comfortable with students staying home for a term or even a year than risk them back.

The President didn’t uplift the ban on public and private transport. Essential services allowed to bus their staff to and from home because they can be followed. Other essential workers that can’t be bussed are advised to cycle or walk. Face masks to become mandatory for all in public.

Museveni said the last 45 days of the lockdown has enabled Uganda to be better prepared, with local factories now able to make enough masks, enough sanitizers. Very soon, Uganda will be exporting sanitizers to the rest of the world because there is enough waragi (alcohol).

He ruled out stopping cross-border trucks. Saying such a move would mean Uganda is not fighting an intelligent war. He urged Ugandan women to keep away from truck drivers. “Avoid them so that the numbers are not so many and we’re able to concentrate on them.” He warned.

A Ugandan student who sneaked in from a technical school in Bukoba, Tanzania and the two Burundian refugees and the boda boda rider who carried them have all tested positive for coronavirus.

13 family members of the Ugandan student who returned from Bukoba, Tanzania, and tested positive for coronavirus have all been put under quarantine. Schools, places of worship, public and private transport etc still banned for 14 days.

Uganda remains one of the countries in Africa with least cases with 89 cases, 55 recoveries and no deaths.