Uganda’s president announces reopening of places of worship, casinos

By Godfrey Olukya and Hamza Kyeyune

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - Uganda’s president on Wednesday announced the reopening of places of worship that have been closed since June due to COVID-19 restrictions in the East African country.

Yoweri Museveni said this applies to places of worship with no more than 200 attendees.

All places of worship in the country have been closed since June 7 due to spikes in infections.

While addressing the nation, Museveni also announced the reopening of casinos, weekly markets, betting shops and gyms. Wedding ceremonies and funerals have also been allowed with the participation of up to 200 people who "should strictly observe SOPs (standard operating procedures) and curfews."

"There should be no religious activities at night. All those in church must wear masks," the president noted.

Schools, bars and concert venues should remain closed until at least 4.8 million people are vaccinated, he stressed.

Unless all teachers are vaccinated, schools will not open, he noted, adding that so far, more than 40% of teachers have been vaccinated and schools will likely reopen in January.

Meanwhile, the rate of vaccination in the country remains too low, with 1.78 million doses administered so far in a population of over 47 million.

Some 67,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in Uganda will expire at the end of the month as the country battles infections arising from the Delta variant.

Museveni said in his national address that scaling up vaccination for all eligible Ugandans aged 18 years and above is a priority.

By the end of December, 4.8 million people, including the priority population, will have been vaccinated to allow for the reopening of schools and other sectors, he said.

Health Minister Dr. Ruth Aceng said the country plans to vaccinate some 22 million people.

The country expects to receive 12 million additional doses of vaccines including Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Sinovac by December.

As of Wednesday, the country had registered 122,502 cases and 3,135 deaths.