President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has made it clear that the 9 pm to 5:30 am curfew will remain in place despite claims of it being useless.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has made it clear that the curfew between 9 pm and 5:30 am will remain in place despite widespread speculation that it’s useless.
During his address to the nation on Friday at Kyankwanzi, Museveni said that while the country has done a tremendous job battling the spread of COVID-19, it does not make sense to relax the necessary guidelines.
According to Museveni, the curfew, like all the other standard operating procedures, can curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In his words, “We instituted the curfew explicitly to limit the number of people congregating in trading centres and also to deter bar and club owners from operating.”
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“Beaches and discos and other venues like concerts, which have become associated with drunkards, will remain closed until at least we have vaccinated.”
Curfew affects Ramadan
A big number of Muslims have come out this week to request that the curfew time be re-evaluated to allow Muslim prayer gatherings to continue well beyond 9 pm during Ramadan.
However, speaking about this suggestion, Museveni explained that much as it is good to congregate and pray, they (Muslims) should pray from their homes and houses to avoid congesting.
“Our strong advice to the Muslims would be the same as our advice to everyone else. They just need to keep the numbers within the recommended number by the Ministry of Health,” Museveni stated.
”For the Ramadan, I would like to appeal to you that I’m also a good person and I remember what we learned in catechism when we were children that God is in all places. No one should put our people in danger with prayers. That’s just not religious.”
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However, the president advised the general public to remain patient and not loosen guidelines too fast since the coronavirus persists and there is still no recognized cure for it.
“When we ask you to maintain measures, it is because this is the only effective way. Even though cases seem to have fallen to manageable levels, COVID-19 is still very much alive. We must maintain some measures,” the President explained.
“It has been over 12 months and we have survived, we have covered elections, exams, and all the things we were supposed to do have been done successfully, we cannot make any mistakes.”
