As Uganda gets to terms with the surging Stage 4 of Covid19 community infections, the United Nations has suspended “all non-critical external missions and visits to Uganda” in a memo issued December 12 by the UN Undersecretary General for Safety and Security, Gilles Michaud.
Michaud noted that since March when the country registered its first Covid19 case, UN scaled down its operations in Uganda.
Seemingly, UN is worried of its staff health amidst a worsened COVID19 pandemic which Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already categorized as Stage 4.
Captivating is how the same UN and her agencies have paved a smooth ground for conditions that have cultivated laxed behavioural attitude on the spread of COVID19 amongst Ugandans during an ongoing daunting electioneering season that gathers droves and droves of people.
Uganda has been doing well, compared to what other countries have faced with new recoveries at 84 and 10,005 cumulatively. Uganda’s cumulative confirmed cases now stand at 28,168 and the total COVID-19 deaths are 225.
Every right thinking Ugandan should keep adhering to the SOPs, exercise caution, restraint as well as acknowledge the global threat that COVID19 is that has so far claimed millions of lives globally.
Ugandans have cautiously adhered to the Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) by staying home amidst harsh economic times, cut on unnecessary public interactions, avoided massive social gatherings, save for some errant egocentric politicians that have with disdain, ignored that mass gatherings during campaigns exposes millions of gullible electorate to the infection.
UN and her sister agencies haven’t come up to condemn this unbecoming behaviour yet are so inclined to statements such as rule of law, human rights, oblivious that these sensibly apply to a healthy populace.
A fortnight ago, UN Secretary General Aantonio Guterres issued a statement in which he called on “all political leaders and their supporters to participate in the electoral process peacefully, in accordance with the relevant regulations, and to refrain from any incitement of violence or hate speech.”
Guterres’ message is a reminder to all political actors as they convince the electorate to vote them but why isn’t Guterres condemning the same leaders shamelessly aiding the spread of the virus that has brought the world’s super economies to their knees?
As African countries, Uganda inclusive, grapple with questions on how to raise the funding to access the Corona Virus vaccine, the only available option is to hold on to caution relentlessly.
Dr Donald Kaberuka, a member of the COVID 19 African Vaccine Acquisition Task Force says Uganda is very pleased that the vaccines are already available but worried about its access which is still a preserve of the rich super powers.
“At the moment, the high income countries have pre purchased or purchased the available vaccines, our first challenge is to get the vaccines from the manufacturer.”
United States of America has already commenced the exercise of vaccinating its citizens. President Donald Trump tweeted that “Vaccines are shipped and on their way. Get well USA, get well world.”
As Uganda ponders on how to access the COVID19 Vaccine, UN is very silent as self-regarding political actors sabotage Government efforts to minimize the spread of the infection.
Most probable, by the time the UN suspended “all non-critical external missions and visits to Uganda”, all its staff had already been vaccinated!
