TOUGH TIMES! Museveni Cabinet Orders Churches, Malls, Arcades, Hospitals, Bars, Buses to Block All Unvaccinated Ugandans

VACCINE MANDATE: President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni and his cabinet have approved a recommendation by the National Covid19 Response Taskforce to block all unvaccinated people from accessing public places such as churches, malls, arcades, hospitals, bars, and buses.

During a meeting held on December 20, 2021, cabinet received an update on the national Covid19 response.

Museveni and his ministers heard that as of December 17, 2021 the positivity rate has slightly increased to 4.4 per cent in the seven days preceding that date because of the increased number of positive cases coming through the airport.

Cabinet also heard that to date, the country has received a total of 32,096,440 doses of different vaccines. But as of December 16, a total of 8,982,966 had been administered (first dose: 7,619,301, second dose: 1,363,665).

Of the targeted 22 million individuals above 18 years, 35 per cent have received at least one dose while 11 per cent (2,436,988) have been fully vaccinated.

According to ICT and National Guidance Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi, it was against this background that “cabinet approved the recommendation to extend vaccination mandate to different categories of workers.”

“A vaccine mandate just means that if you are not vaccinated, businesses , schools and others can legally stop you from entering the building or using their services if they choose to,” explained Dr Baryomunsi.

“It’s a requirement that says you must be vaccinated to do certain things like working, travelling, or even attending mass gatherings like wedding, concerts, etc.”

The Minister further revealed that cabinet also discussed the need for booster doses for the various vulnerable populations.