The Ugandan government on Saturday announced a raft of measures to stop the spread of Ebola in the country, reported The CGTN Africa.
In a televised address, the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced imposing an overnight curfew, closing places of worship, markets, bars and entertainment, and restriction of movement into and out of two districts affected by Ebola for the last 21 days.
Museveni said the measures are aimed at curbing the spread of the disease will be introduced immediately in Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda, the epicentre of the current Ebola epidemic. He said cargo trucks will be allowed to enter and leave the two areas, but all other transport has been suspended.
“These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola. We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time,” the Ugandan president said.
He added that 19 people have lost their lives to Ebola since the east African nation announced the outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever on September 20.
The Ugandan authorities said the outbreak is concentrated to two districts and has not spread to the capital city of Kampala, despite a couple testing positive there.
A 45-year-old man who fled from Mubende district died of Ebola in Kampala. His wife also tested Ebola positive shortly after giving birth at a health clinic in Kampala. The health authorities stressed that there was nothing to panic as Kampala was still Ebola-free because the couple was exposed to the virus in Mubende.
Museveni said the measures are temporary and are aimed at stopping the spread of Ebola. He urged the people to cooperate with authorities to bring an end to the outbreak in the shortest possible time.
The Ebola strain in circulation in the latest outbreak in Uganda is known as the Sudan Ebola virus. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine for the Sudan Ebola strain.
