JUDY WOODRUFF: Poor health care infrastructure in some African nations is leading to dire
warnings from the U.N. about the toll that COVID-19 could take throughout the continent.
But the East African nation of Uganda has only 58 confirmed cases so far. Experts say
its experience with previous viral outbreaks, like the Ebola and Marburg viruses, mean it
was already prepared to deal with COVID-19.
Special correspondent Michael Baleke reports from the capital, Kampala.
MICHAEL BALEKE: Uganda's first confirmed case of COVID-19 landed on a plane from Dubai on
March 21. More than 100 people were aboard the same flight, and the nation acted swiftly.
JANE RUTH ACENG, Ugandan Health Minister: The passenger manifest has been retrieved.
And all contacts are known, as the passports of the travelers were retained at immigration,
and all the travelers were put under quarantine.
MICHAEL BALEKE: Viral disease outbreaks are nothing new here. Uganda has been in a health
care emergency since 2018, responding to outbreaks of Ebola, yellow fever, measles, and the Crimean-Congo
hemorrhagic fever.
Uganda also successfully contained the deadly Marburg virus in 2017, limiting the outbreak
to three deaths. Health officials say that gives Uganda an advantage over other countries
in their fight against COVID-19.
MONICA MUSENERO, Epidemiologist: We put in place measures to do surveillance because
of the recent Ebola outbreak. And this virus is just coming in, so we already had measures
of controlling movement in this region.
MICHAEL BALEKE: Health surveillance teams have been on duty at all border posts, land
and air. Since last year, body temperature scanners have been in place at the Entebbe
International Airport.
Uganda has also built the capacity to prepare and swiftly test samples of different viral
diseases at the Uganda Virus Research Institute laboratory.
PONTIANO KALEEBU, Director, Uganda Virus Research Institute: As we are running now, we can do
about 520 tests per day, but we have the capacity to expand that if we use all the machines
and all additional technicians.
MICHAEL BALEKE: More than 1,000 Ugandans have been identified as a potential risk and have
been put either in self-quarantine or institutional quarantine.
Despite the relatively few cases, the government is already taking additional precautionary
measures.
YOWERI MUSEVENI, President of Uganda: It is wise that we temporarily remove these concentration
points by closing all the primary and secondary schools, pre-primary, as well as all the universities
and tertiary institutions for one month.
MICHAEL BALEKE: The government has issued a ban on public gatherings at places of worship,
restaurants, and nightclubs for 30 days.
The country has also sealed its borders, except to cargo planes, trucks and trains. Joint
security teams of both the military and police are enforcing a 7:00 p.m. curfew across the
country.
There have also been reports of refugees entering the country through illegal border points,
even though the COVID-19 measures announced by the government suspended new arrivals.
MUSA ECWERU, Ugandan State Minister for Relief, Disaster and Preparedness: Nobody is allowed
to move back and forth from what we call country of origin to the settlement in Uganda.
And we have directed all our law enforcement officers to make sure that this directive
is enforced to the letter.
ROBERT KYAGULANYI, Ugandan Legislator: The bad news is that everyone is a potential victim.
MICHAEL BALEKE: Ugandan legislator and pop star Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi
Wine, has released a song to raise awareness of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus poses a major risk to human life, and this has forced the Ugandan president
to announce a two-week lockdown of the entire country, so that people can stay at home.
Uganda's 75-year-old president has also released a video of his home workout routine, in a
bid to encourage Ugandans to stay indoors. The stay-at-home order is driving many into
a spending spree to stock up on household essentials. The rush to stockpile has driven
up the price of commodities.
JUDITH UMA, Teacher: Yesterday, but one, I bought a kilo of beans at 4,000. Yesterday,
I came, and it was 5,000. So, I don't know what is going on. I don't know what the government
is saying about it. And we are worried of the aftermath of this situation.
MICHAEL BALEKE: The Ugandan president has threatened to revoke trading licenses of businesses
that hike prices.
For "PBS NewsHour," I'm Michael Baleke in Kampala.