Diana Atwine to Museveni: Quickly put Kampala, Wakiso under lockdown or Covid19 second wave will kill many Ugandans

Health ministry permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine has asked President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni to announce a lockdown for Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono and other major towns, warning that ignoring this would lead to many deaths in the second wave of Covid19.

Uganda has registered more cases and deaths in recent days, prompting health experts to warn that a second wave, triggered by new strains like the deadly India variant, could have set in.

In a recent TV interview, PS Dr Atwine called for a partial lockdown.

“Don’t rule out a lockdown because people are not following SOPs and infections are rising at a terrific speed. We are losing lives everyday and this is worrying us,” said Dr Atwine.

“Some areas especially urban business districts like Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and Masaka must be locked down otherwise our facilities are getting overwhelmed.”

She added that the president quickly decide on a partial lockdown.

“The COVID-19 situation in the country now needs something to be done quickly and if that doesn’t happen, we are going to lose many lives unfortunately,” she added.

“Hospitals are receiving overwhelming numbers and majority are youths. ICUs are already full and it’s worrying.”