KAMPALA – Makerere University has permitted the Health ministry to use its hostel facilities at the Agricultural Research Institute at Kabanyolo, Wakiso District as a quarantine centre.
The university vic -chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, said the ministry will use the premises for 14 days. “Permission is hereby given for use of the hostel facilities at Kabanyolo by the health ministry for the quarantine programme to curb the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19,” Nawangwe said.
“I trust that you will fulfil your pledge of disinfecting the premises during the period of use and after,” he added.
This comes after the Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Mr Matia Kasaija, told MPs on Tuesday, May 24 that the government was in the final stages of setting up some schools in Entebbe as quarantine centres.
Kasaija’s revelation followed concerns by Members of Parliament about the high costs incurred by the persons under isolation in hotels.
It has been reported that persons under isolation in hotels in Entebbe are paying US$100 per day.
The Finance Minister said that the Treasury is grappling with other concerns and is not in a position to foot these bills as has been suggested.
“We realized that this was too expensive for these people to afford. They will soon be transferred to schools in Entebbe that have been identified to host them at no cost,” said Kasaija.
Earlier, President Museveni had said that authorities were looking at the possibility of using schools (since they are now not operational) as quarantine points so that people don’t spend so much on hotels.
He said the biggest setback, however, was that some people are superstitious.
He said some headteachers and teachers are saying that if we use ‘their’ schools to quarantine people, these schools will get bad luck. “This is ridiculous, why are our people resorting to such thinking at such a time!”
“All the same, I have spoken to Mama Janet Museveni to organise her people and we have this solved,” he added.
