By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG (AA) – Uganda announced Saturday that no one will be allowed to enter the country beginning March 23 in a bid to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus from the landlocked East African nation.
“We have decided to prohibit all passenger planes coming from outside Uganda from landing at any of the airports of Uganda. Only cargo planes will be allowed to fly in and out of Uganda,” President Yoweri Museveni said in a televised address to the nation.
Museveni said relief and emergency planes belonging to the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies will be allowed to land at specified locations.
“Uganda, by God’s mercy, has not yet recorded a single case of this terrible virus. Nevertheless, we must fine tune our strategy against this enemy,” he said.
He also ordered that no one, Ugandan or foreigner, should be allowed to enter through its land or sea entry ports, except cargo truck drivers whose crew members should not exceed three people.
“No buses, mini-buses, private cars, motorbike taxis will be allowed to enter the country,” Museveni said.
Uganda shares borders with Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, South Sudan and Kenya. Many of its neighbors have reported cases of COVID-19 infections.
COVID-19, emerged in Wuhan, China last December and spread to at least 167 countries and territories, according to data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.
Out of more than 303,000 confirmed cases, the death toll nears 13,000, and more than 91,000 have recovered.
Despite the rising number of cases, most who contract the virus suffer mild symptoms and recover.
