Heavy traffic jam along Kampala’s Eighth Street on May 26
KAMPALA, May 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Life in the Ugandan capital is slowly returning to normal after nearly two months of lockdown.
Major highways in Kampala experienced heavy traffic after the government partially lifted lockdown measures that barred private transport.
Pictures shared online showed cars lined bumper to bumper as early as 3 pm as drivers rushed home to beat the night curfew.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango said several people had been arrested and their cars impounded for violating the 7 pm to 6:30 am curfew rules.
According to directives issued last week by President Yoweri Museveni, private transport was allowed to resume from May 26 and to carry a maximum of three passengers.
Public transport will resume on June 2 with buses operating at half capacity to ensure physical distancing rules are adhered to.
Prior to easing the restrictions, only cargo transporters and essential service providers were allowed on the road.
Meanwhile, the Ugandan cabinet has approved the return of 2,400 nationals stranded abroad amid Coronavirus pandemic, a government official said.
The cabinet agreed that Ugandan nationals trapped in 66 countries can return home at their own cost, Judith Nabakooba, minister for information, communication technology and national guidance, told reporters.
The government is making arrangements with the UN World Food Program (WFP) to fly the stranded citizens home, said Nabakooba, adding that all the returning citizens will have to undergo a 14-day mandatory institutional quarantine.
President Yoweri Museveni last month directed Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to study the possibility of evacuating dozens of citizens stranded abroad amid Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
To contain the spread of Covid-19, the country on March 22 suspended all incoming flights, except cargo flights.
Uganda currently has 253 confirmed Coronavirus cases, with 69 recoveries, and no death, according to the Ministry of Health. — NNN-AGENCIES
