Scientists have asked the President to consider stopping public transport, and imposing strict lockdown for three weeks as a part of the immediate government response to the escalating Covid-19 infections in the country.
The temporary Covid-19 taskforce convened on Thursday assessed the current Covid-19 trajectory.
The team came up with a 14-point plan including a proposed ban on public transport, citing gross violation of Ministry of Health standard operating procedures (SOPs) and rising infections in the sector.
Ministry of Health officials have described the new measures as "consistent with the thoughts" about reversing the second wave of a pandemic that has so far killed 362 people in Uganda and about 200 are admitted in various hospitals fighting for their lives.
The government on Thursday confirmed Covid-19 infections in 29 schools in 17 districts and one death.
During the first wave of the pandemic in March last year, government instituted a nationwide lockdown that lasted for almost three months.
On June 4, 2020, the government allowed public transport to resume but with some restrictions in order to lessen the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.
Taxi and bus operators were authorised to carry half of the passengers, ensure there are sanitisers in the vehicles, adhere to stipulated curfew hours, passengers as well drivers and their assistants, were required to wear face masks at all time.
They have since abandoned the SOPs even as infections continue to rise in the country.
Mr Mustafa Mayambala, the chairperson of Uganda Transporters Development Agency (UTRADA), said government should focus on enforcement of Covid-19 SOPs instead of suspending public transport.
He explained that although taxi operators have tried to observe SOPs, sometimes passengers violate the rules once they enter the taxis.
"Police have not helped us in enforcing the SOPs. The traffic officers should make sure that the taxi drivers and passengers are observing the SOPs. We suffered a lot while in lockdown. It affected our families and the economy," Mr Mayambala said.
He added: "We know Covid affects all of us and public transport is used by many people. Instead of considering the possibility of stopping public transport, let them enforce the SOPs because even when you provide water and soap, people don't want to wash hands."
A taxi driver who identified himself as Andrew, said: "They cannot do that to us, not again. They want to protect our health but aren't there other better alternatives because you know once these things of suspending public transport start then the lockdown is next."
At least 474,131 out of 550,000 targeted teachers and lecturers could lose their jobs after scientists recommended that those who have not been vaccinated be banned from teaching in order to protect learners from the virus.
More than 800 cases have been confirmed in 29 schools. There are also concerns that some school administrators are concealing Covid cases to avoid closure.
However this figure could have changed given that the vaccination is ongoing.
Dr Alfred Driwale, the programme manager of Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunisation (Unepi), said schools will be a bigger accelerator of infection given the pattern of infections in schools.
Dr Driwale added that although teachers were given a priority to be vaccinated their response to the offer was slow.
"Schools were open because of activism, some people started making the closure of school look like an unreasonable measure, that children were getting pregnant, when did schools become a family planning method... others looked at it from a business point but at what expense so we must have balance on these things as we debate these matters," Dr Driwale said yesterday.
Ministry of Health has attributed a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in schools to overcrowding, non-adherence to SOPs and inadequate supervision of learners.
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Unlike during the first wave, the most affected people during the second wave that hit the country this month are aged between 20 and 39 years.
As per Ministry of Health data between April 1 and May 22, at least 26 per cent of Covid cases were registered among those aged between 20 and 29 years, 25 per cent of cases among those aged between 30 and 39 years, 17 per cent among those aged 40 to 49 years, among others.
As on May 22, Mulago hospital had three patients aged between 10 and 20 years, six patients aged between 21 and 30 years, nine patients aged between 31 and 40 years, among others.
Dr Misaki Wayengera, the head of the Ministerial Scientific Advisory Committee on Covid-19, said the young people are more socially active which exposes them to risk of exposure given that the disease is now widely spreading within the public.
