Uganda postpones return of citizens stranded abroad due to Covid-19
What you need to know:
- Officials at the Civil Aviation Authority said they were not aware of any plane bringing the stranded Ugandans.
- Later over the weekend, the Ministry of Health clarified in a tweet that no flights would be arriving.
The Ugandan government has postponed the repatriation of its citizens who are stranded abroad to a later date, according to the Ministry of Health.
Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng had earlier said that 300 of the 2,392 stranded Ugandans would be repatriated after every two weeks and the first group was supposed to arrive on Saturday.
However, officials at the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said they were not aware of any plane bringing the stranded Ugandans.
Later over the weekend, the Ministry of Health clarified in a tweet that no flights would be arriving.
NO FLIGHT
“While more than 2,300 Ugandans will be repatriated, no flight repatriating Ugandans is arriving into the country today. The exact date will be communicated in due course.”
Efforts to talk to the Health minister about the change were futile.
Health Permanent Secretary Diana Atwine referred Daily Monitor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“You know the details are with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they are the ones that have been in touch. Those people are the ones who know these flights…for us we do not organise their flights neither do we have their scheduled flights…,” Dr Atwine said.
However, officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to our repeated calls.
TEST RETURNEES
Dr Aceng said all the returnees must undergo Covid-19 testing and isolation.
“Ministry of Health has identified and prepared a total of 16 quarantine centres where all the returnees must undergo 14 days of institutional quarantine at their own cost,” she said.
The minister added, “We have assembled screening and laboratory teams to ensure that all returnees undergo Covid-19 testing upon arrival and on 10th and 14th days of quarantine, respectively. If anyone is found positive in the quarantine site, he or she will be transferred to a designated treatment centre for care.”
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, many Ugandans abroad were left jobless and majority of them have been crying to the government to grant them permission to return home.
