In an effort to curb the spread of Ebola, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has ordered an immediate lockdown and the imposition of a dusk-till-dawn curfew for three weeks in two districts.
For a period of 21 days, the two central areas of Mubende and Kassanda will be closed to business, including places of worship, markets, taverns, and entertainment.
Museveni gave a broadcast speech on Saturday in which he stated: “I now direct as follows: movements now into and out of Mubende and Kassanda districts are now restricted.”
Museveni, who has been in charge of Uganda since 1986, instructed people to stay in the Mubende and Kassanda areas for 21 days.
Since the epidemic was first reported on September 20, the health ministry stated on Saturday that there had been 19 fatalities and 58 confirmed cases of the sometimes lethal viral hemorrhagic fever.
Despite a husband and wife testing positive there, authorities claim that the outbreak is confined to the two afflicted districts and has not spread to Kampala, the 1.5 million people’s capital.
However, according to the president of Uganda, only cargo trucks will be permitted to access and exit the two locations; all other forms of transportation have been put on hold.
“These are stop-gap measures to stop Ebola from spreading. To halt this pandemic as quickly as possible, we should all work with the authorities, he added.
Museveni had already issued orders for police to detain anyone suspected of having the virus who refused to enter isolation and for traditional healers to stop treating sick persons.
The symptoms of Ebola, which is spread through bodily fluids, include fever, vomiting, bleeding, and diarrhea.
The difficulty of containing outbreaks increases in metropolitan settings.
The most recent Ebola-related fatality in Uganda happened in 2019.
The Sudan Ebola virus, for which there is presently no vaccine, is the specific strain that is now present in Uganda.
Clinical trials for medications to treat that strain could begin in the coming weeks, according to the World Health Organization.
