President Yoweri Museveni has ordered all schools in Uganda to close in the wake of coronavirus epidemic.
The President made the revelation on Wednesday during his address to the country about the government’s stand on coronavirus.
“Government has decided to close all primary, secondary schools and universities starting at midday, Friday March 20, 2020 for 30 days as a measure to fight coronavirus,” the President said.
Museveni also suspended prayer services in Churches and Mosques, also for 30 days.
“How will God forgive us when we say lets have one more gathering then in that gathering there is a person infected? Prayers will continue but in homes.
“Public rallies, conferences, elections among others are hereby forbidden for 32 days.”
Museveni further said that as a country they will not stop Ugandans to come back home but they will pay costs of the quarantine.
“If they come back, they will be put in mandatory quarantine for 14 days and they will pay costs for the quarantine.”
Now declared a pandemic, the outbreak of the new coronavirus that was first detected in China late last year has infected nearly 200,000 people in more than 150 countries.
COVID-19, the highly infectious disease caused by the virus, has so far killed almost 8,000 people, while more than 81,000 others have recovered. Across Africa, the number of registered infections has risen to 418 in 30 countries.
African countries with confirmed cases include; Egypt 126, Algeria 48, Tunis 20, Nigeria 2, Senegal 24, Morocco 28, South Africa 61, Cameroon 4, Togo 1, Burkina Faso 7, Democratic Republic of Congo 2, Guinea 1, Ivory Coast 1, Ghana 6, Gabon 1, Kenya 3, Ethiopia 4, Eswatini 1, Sudan 1, Mauritania 1, Equatorial Guinea 1, Rwanda 7, Namibia 2, Congo 1, Seychelles 3, Central African Republic 1 and Tanzania 1.
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