In a press release this evening, the minister of health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has confirmed that the country registered 318 new positive cases of the coronavirus.
This is the largest number of cases recorded in Uganda in a single day and Kampala remains a zone to cause worry as the capital city has registered 540 cumulative cases since March.
Amuru district is another isolated location the ministry has identified as a total of 153 positive cases have been registered from around and about the prison in Amuru.
“Last week, a prisoner in Amuru exhibited symptoms and our team was called to isolate him. 20 contacts of the prisoner were traced and tested. There was only one case recorded from them and he has since recovered,” said Dr. Aceng.
The minister added that further investigations uncovered 152 positive cases amongst inmates and 1 staff member. They were transferred to Gulu, where the ministry setup a specific center for inmates.
65 cases were recorded in Kampala and this brings the cumulative number of cases to 2,166. One death was recorded bringing the total number of deaths to 20.
Minister Aceng insists that this was expected when lockdown measures were relaxed by President Museveni.
Since public transport and nearly all businesses opened, the cases have grown. If the population doesn’t adhere to the measures set in place, the situation won’t change.
Dr. Aceng noted that taxis carry more than the allowed 6 passengers, there are no sanitizers in place for most businesses, and masks are considered as a fashion statement rather than a necessary precaution. It is noteworthy that most of the contacts around Kampala have said that they have used public transport before.
