Boycott public transport not observing Coronavirus SOPs - Museveni

President Museveni has asked the public to boycott vehicles which are not observing the Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPS) as days to partially reopen education institutions draw closer.

Mr Museveni said government’s plan to allow only candidates at different academic levels to report on October 15 is to ensure there is social distancing among the learners as one of the key measures to keep away the pandemic from spreading.

The President added that the closure of all education institutions in March has saved lives since he hasn’t received information that any learner has died from coronavirus although there have been challenges of young girls getting pregnant.

“When we are talking children got pregnant there, it is okay. At least they are alive. Pregnancy doesn’t kill. At least we have not heard any child has died from coronavirus. They have got pregnant but not died,” Mr Museveni told teachers at State House Entebbe yesterday as they commemorated their day.

He added: “Public transport was opened. Boycott them if you see them not doing what government put in place. You should all be inspectors on Covid-19 SOPs. Don’t say we remain paralysed because some people don’t follow SOPs. If you expose them, we can confiscate their vehicles.”

The Education minister, Ms Janet Museveni, warned that government will not provide money for feeding children when they report to school but asked respective institutions in partnership with the parents to ensure children are given nutritious foods.

“Education is a shared responsibility. We have informed the parents. It’s their role to bring them to school. It’s time for a paradigm shift. We can’t keep doing things the same way and expect different results. We must build our capacity for resilience and response to emergencies in post Covid-19 period,” Ms Museveni said.

The teachers, through their umbrella Uganda National Teachers Union appealed to government to ensure schools are facilitated to enable their reopening.

Mr Alex Kakooza, the Ministry of Education permanent secretary, said Shs32.6b has been released to schools as capitation grants.

Mr Kakooza warned that government doesn’t have money to recruit school health workers but encouraged them to work together with the nearest health facilities for support in case of a COVID-19 case.

The President said government will continue providing distance learning for those students who remain at home and that Shs320b has been set aside to procure radios to facilitate the learning while the children remain at home.

Impact

The President says the closure of all education institutions in March has saved lives since he hasn’t received information that any learner has died from Coronavirus.