We continue to punish offenders with fines, penalties and charges as one way of bringing the epidemic under control.
Police are holding 2,124 suspects on allegations of flouting the existing health Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on COVID19, according to Police spokesperson, CP Fred Enanga.
Enanga who was Monday addressing reporters at Police Headquarters in Naguru, said the suspects were arrested during the course of last week as security agencies heightened enforcement of the SOPs.
He revealed that during the operations, more than 400 motor vehicles and over 2,000 motorcycles were also impounded.
“We continue to punish offenders with fines, penalties and charges as one way of bringing the epidemic under control. In the course of the week 445 motor vehicles and 2,088 motorcycles were impounded for violating the curfew timings,” says Enanga.
“A total of 2,124 suspects were also arrested for flouting the health SOPs and curfew timings,” adds the Police spokesperson who further noted that the suspects “are set to appear in court.”
Enanga said all police territorial commanders across the country have become more punitive in their approach in order to minimize the spread of the virus.
The development comes amid surge in the COVID19 cases in Uganda attributed to many people being complacent to the existing measures and less cautious.
According to Enanga, police is focusing enforcement efforts to stopping those who continue to hold large wedding parties, large congregations in worships centres, sporting events, markets, arcades, being transported at 100% capacity in buses, taxis and on bodaboda, stealthy going to bars, without taking precautions as they go unmasked and donot observe physical distance.
Last week on 27th and 28th May, 2021, 1390 new cases were registered, according to the Ministry of Health with Kampala, Wakiso, Moroto, Tororo, Luwero, Kalungu, Mbarara, Kibuku and Iganga being the most affected districts.
Latest figures by the Ministry of Health indicate that results of COVID-19 tests on Saturday May 29, confirmed 524 new cases raising the country’s cumulative confirmed cases to 47,147.
Enanga however says that despite their enforcement, everyone has a role to play in stopping the spread of the virus.
“Enforcement is only one component. We hope the vaccination exercise which has begun to pick-up, will play a big part in controlling the wave of this pandemic,” he said.
While addressing the nation on Saturday on the COVID19 situation in Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni, urged Ugandans who do not have ‘urgent issues’ in Kampala to stay away from the country’s capital and the neighbouring Wakiso district for a while.
Museveni blamed the rising numbers of cases in these areas on negligence by the city dwellers that he said have ignored the recommended personal preventive measures against COVID-19
Before his address, many people thought that the president was likely to impose another lockdown to contain the new infections. To their surprise, Museveni said he had just come to sound a warning to the whole country.
Museveni noted that on Wednesday this week week, he is going to convene a full scale national COVID-19 task force, which will recommend several preventive measures to curb the further spread of the disease.
The president said the agreed-upon guidelines will be fully implemented to avoid choking the health system with many cases. He also added that while the numbers are increasing, the situation is still manageable.
Amidst the scare of the new wave, the president said that adherence to wearing face masks and avoiding gatherings would go a long way to control the numbers.