Minister of health Dr. Ruth Aceng is contemplating another lockdown but I think that is a bad idea.
Currently, Ugandans are experiencing very tough conditions due to lock down, therefore, prolonging it might produce anarchy.
Secondly, the country was locked, brutal curfew imposed, in which people have been harassed in inhuman manner, several people have been shot and killed, yet at a time when lockdown was imposed, Uganda had no case of covid-19, but as of now there over 700 cases! Now, People are asking why did you lockdown the country? Why did people suffer even others died for nothing? Most Ugandans are jobless only surviving through hands to mouth type of work( kweyiiya) but they accepted to stay at home hoping for better outcome, however, because the situation has gone from bad to worse, the outcome is bringing back unpleasant memories of wasted business opportunities , money, time and lost lives of some of their beloved ones.
Generally, Ugandans seem to have paid a big price than any other country, because even so poor countries repatriated their people but Ugandans continue to be locked outside of their country and suffering terribly!
Ugandans have suffered to extent of being refused burying their dead, some Ugandans who had gone abroad to work have died and buried like dogs in the sand of Middle East just because their government refused them to come back to their country, thus their relatives where denied any chance of ever seeing them again!
Also, many people think that, it’s unfair for government to blame citizens for covid-19 cases increase, because covid-19 cases increase has been majorly caused by truck drivers whom citizens had requested government to stop entering Uganda but government refused!
People are wondering why all Ugandans where refused to come back to their country, women who had traveled were refused to come home to take care of their children yet at the same time very risky infected truck drivers are allowed to enter the country every day?
It’s beating many people’s understanding why government chose sickly truck drivers over majority of own citizen’s within the country and abroad?
Government shouldn’t be surprised why people seem to be disobedient, it’s not that they want to die but they lost confidence in the whole procedure!
The first month of lockdown, Ugandans wholeheartedly complied but surprisingly whereas many citizens had sacrificed everything hoping for the lockdown to be utilized to defeat the pandemic, people were much disappointed to see that some government workers had turned the pandemic into a money making opportunity.
People’s anger and distrust were provoked when government workers turned the pandemic into business of getting money, stealing tax payers money at the expense of the suffering of poverty impoverished Ugandans forcefully locked into their homes where some women have resorted to cooking stones to feed their children and several people have died of hunger, others, because of failure to access hospitals due to the lockdown !
Given the experience from other countries, especially the most affected Nations, a prolonged lockdown produce bad results, that is why regardless of the infected numbers, America is steadily opening and President Trump promised never to lock down again.
New Zealand, Israel, Denmark, India, opened up, Germany opened up less than two month, other effective countries locked for just only 2 month or less.
Uganda lockdown has been prolonged, it’s overdue, it’s not good and stretching people to the limit, will produce severe effects likely to spoil any earlier achievement.
Ap.Dr.U.M
