Africa-Press – Uganda. A section of people are continuing to flout the Covid-19 directives issued by President Museveni on July 30 when he eased the 42-day lock down.Among the directives the President issued was observing curfew from 7pm to 5:30am, motorcycle (boda boda) movements restricted until 6pm, closure of bars, saunas and places of worship while public transport should operate strictly at a 50 per cent capacity, among other instructions.
A mini-survey conducted by Daily Monitor in the last one week, however, shows that many of these directives are either being abused or not followed.For instance, whereas government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were advised to operate at a maximum of 20 per cent staff in a rotational manner, our survey shows that some are operating at a bigger capacity. Some of the managers who spoke anonymously to Daily Monitor said it was inevitable since they need most staff in office after the lockdown was eased.
Then, some bars, saunas and even places of worship continue to open from time to time despite the order that they remain closed.One bar owner operating in Bweyogerere, a suburb in the outskirts of Kampala City, told this newspaper yesterday on condition of anonymity that he has continued operating his business secretly because he has no alternative means of survival.
“When the President closed us for the first time last year, I tried looking for other jobs but did not succeed. So, rather than sit idle at home, I resorted to running the bar under shrewd methods. While revellers enjoy themselves inside the bar, the gate and entrance doors remain closed,” the bar owner said.There are occasions the bar has been stormed by police officers following a tip-off.“I find my way around with these police officers by winning them over with beer and money. Usually, after taking the bribes, they allow me to continue operating the bar,” he mentioned.
Mr Luke Owoyesigire, the Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, told Daily Monitor yesterday that although such cases have not yet been confirmed, it was a big issue during last year’s lockdown.“We investigated many officers at the time and in circumstances we got overwhelming evidence on one, they were investigated while others whose cases did not have overwhelming evidence were transferred,” Mr Owoyesigire said.
Since the lockdown was eased, the mini-survey also showed that some sections of people are continuously violating the curfew time while others are defying the transport directives of carrying more than the required number of passengers in vehicles.“The problem with some Ugandans is laxity. They don’t want to listen. But, we shall continue informing and educating them about the directives,” Mr Owoyesigire said.
