The Ankole region Coordinator of the Operation Wealth Creation Col. Tumusiime Sikagi is dead.
He died at Nakasero Hospital on Wednesday.
Col Sikagi was one of the key commanders during the National Resistance Army war from 198 to 1986.
After the capture of power, Col Sikagi was a battalion commander and fought the Lakwena rebellion in Eastern Uganda
KAMPALA-The Internal Security Organisation Senior Director in charge of western Uganda Lt.Col. Hannington Kakura is dead.
According to a close family member, Col. Kakuura died on Wednesday from Nakasero Hospital where he had been admitted.
He has been one of the senior intelligence operatives who have served ISO ever since it was established in 1986.
Those who have worked with him say he had been been one of the “most effective operatives” at ISO.
During his three-decade career, he held different positions including; Director of Political Affairs, Director Counter-terrorism, Director Economic Affairs and others.
Col. Kakuura, who is a brother to Brig. Phinehas Katirima, the UPDF Chief of Education and Sports was among the senior ISO officers who are soon retiring.
Meanwhile, the Director General of ISO Col Kaka Bagyenda carried out massive reshuffle at ISO and a number of operatives were moved in the February reshuffle.
Among them is the Pte. Emmy Katabazi, who has been moved from earlier of Deputy Director in-charge of Media to Internal Affairs as a Liaison Officer at the directorate of Small Arms Proliferation.
President Yoweri Museveni has warned all those taking advantage of the Covid-19 outbreak situation in the country by hiking the prices of foodstuffs.
In his address today, the President said that he has been informed about some ‘crooks’ in Kampala hiking prices because of the measures that have been put in place to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
“Those ‘crooks’ hiking the prices of food am warning you. I will send spies to find you. If found, I will revoke your license for taking advantage of us.” Museveni said.
“Hiking food prices is total nonsense, we have plenty of food in the country, am a farmer myself. In any case I can organize my NRM cadres and they bring food to Kampala.” Museveni added
Meanwhile, Museveni also urged Ugandans to avoid using public means of transport, something he says will go a long way in curtailing the spread of Covid-19.
“If the towns had enough bicycles, by now I would have suspended public transport. It is even healthier. With a bicycle, you are by yourself,” he said.
“If the coronavirus crisis persists, we shall suspend public transport and promote cycling,” the president added.
He also added that he will discuss the possibility of engaging National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) on slashing the price of water.
Two suspected Coronavirus patients have been isolated at Mbale regional hospital
The suspects who are the residents of Nabugoye village in Nabweya parish and Chemongesi Mbale district reported to the facility this morning after they developed symptoms.
The suspects have been known as a 44 year old Shaban Alimuyeye from Nabugoye village Nabweya parish, Namanyonyi Sub County Mbale district and a 35 year old Kenyan Christopher Kamande from Chemongesi an athletic camp in Kapchorwa.
According to Diana Nkesiga a laboratory technician at Mbale municipality health centre 2, the patients were showing signs and symptoms of Covid-19 which is cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, headache, muscle aches, and running nose.
Nkesiga saids that one of the suspects Christopher Kamande has been moving in and out of the country to Kenya.
According to Christopher Kamande a Kenyan, he traveled from Kenya to Kapchorwa chemongesi in an athletic camp.
Kamande further noted that he started developing the signs and he thought it was just weather affecting his health but now it is turning into something else.
Shaban Alimuyeye said that they came for treatment but after they saw the situation was worsening and after testing they have been isolated and they are waiting for the response from the facility and he said he has been told that the ambulance is coming for them.
So far, very many people from different parts of the country have been suspected and they are under isolation.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed ninth new cases of COVID-19 in the country. All infected are Ugandans who traveled from Dubai. This brings to nine the number of cases Uganda has confirmed, a day after President Yoweri Museveni announced closure of the borders to human traffic.
Minister of Health Ruth Aceng has called on anyone who came into Uganda from Dubai in the past two weeks to get in touch with her officers so they can track and test them.
“The UAE was not among the high risk countries. From what we are seeing we are not sure what was reported was the truth,” said Aceng at a press conference Monday night in Kampala.
Even as the coronavirus outbreak takes the world by storm, a number of other diseases are also rearing their ugly heads. Cases of swine flu and bird flu have already been reported in India and other countries. Now, a man from China has tested positive for hantavirus.
China’s Global Times tweeted that the man from Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shandong Province for work on a bus on Monday. The 32 other people on the bus were also tested for the virus.
What exactly is the hantavirus?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantaviruses are a family of viruses which are spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied diseases in people.
It can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
The disease is not airborne and can only spread to people if they come in contact with urine, feces, and saliva of rodents and less frequently by a bite from an infected host.
Symptoms of hantavirus
Early symptoms of HPS include fatigue, fever, and muscle aches, along with headaches, dizziness, chills and abdominal problems. If left untreated, it can lead to coughing and shortness of breath and can be fatal, with a mortality rate of 38 percent, according to CDC.
While the initial symptoms of HFRS too remain the same, it can cause low blood pressure, acute shock, vascular leakage, and acute kidney failure.
HPS can’t be passed on from person to person, while HFRS transmission between people is extremely rare.
As per the CDC, rodent population control is the primary strategy for preventing hantavirus infections.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been postponed until next year because of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
The event, due to begin on 24 July, will now take place “no later than summer 2021”, the International Olympic Committee confirmed.
“I proposed to postpone for a year and [IOC] president Thomas Bach responded with 100% agreement,” Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
The Tokyo Paralympic Games will also be postponed until 2021.
Prime Minister Abe added: “This will make it possible for athletes to play in the best condition, and will make the event a safe and secure one for spectators.”
In 2013, Tokyo beat Madrid (Spain) and Istanbul (Turkey) to the hosting rights.
The postponement of the world’s largest sporting event came after numerous other delays or cancellations in Japan and around the world. This month, most sporting events and leagues all over the world have been postponed to later dates.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Emirates and dnata have been adapting operations in line with regulatory directives as well as travel demand.
The airline has aimed to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travelers return home amidst an increasing number of travel bans, restrictions, and country lockdowns across the world. It continues to maintain vital international air cargo links for economies and communities, deploying its fleet of 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods including medical supplies across the world.
With many of its airline customers dramatically reducing flights or ceasing services altogether, dnata has also significantly reduced its operations, including temporarily shutting some offices across its international network.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group said: “The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint. Until January 2020, the Emirates Group was doing well against our current financial year targets. But COVID-19 has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past 6 weeks.
“As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns. By Wednesday 25 March, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended most of its passenger operations. We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services.”
Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries and territories until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. The situation remains dynamic, and travelers can check flight status on emirates.com.
Sheikh Ahmed added “Emirates Group has a strong balance sheet, and substantial cash liquidity, and we can, and will, with appropriate and timely action, survive through a prolonged period of reduced flight schedules, so that we are adequately prepared for the return to normality.”
On the decision to reduce basic salary, Sheikh Ahmed said: “Rather than ask employees to leave the business, we chose to implement a temporary basic salary cut as we want to protect our workforce and keep our talented and skilled people, as much as possible. We want to avoid cutting jobs. When demand picks up again, we also want to be able to quickly ramp up and resume services for our customers.”
The Emirates Group has strong liquidity, with a healthy cash position but it is prudent that it take steps to reduce costs at this time. Emirates remains committed to serving its markets and looks forward to resuming a normal flight schedule as soon as that is permitted by the relevant authorities.
Emirates Group closely monitors the situation and keeps in regular contact with all relevant authorities, so that it can implement the latest guidance to keep travelers and its employees safe and healthy.
The company has strongly discouraged its employees from non-essential travel, implemented work from home policies for all employees where operationally feasible, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols at its facilities, introduced temperature screening at its key office entry points, and launched internal educational campaigns on hand hygiene and health practices to reduce risk of COVID-19.
Over the past weeks, the airline has also implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures on all of its aircraft departing Dubai as a precaution, and worked closely with airports to implement screening measures as required by the local authorities.
Front line employees such as crew and airport teams have also been provided with support to stay safe while on duty, including providing hand sanitizers and masks where required.
The Emirates Group fully supports all initiatives to safeguard the health of communities in every market where it operates, including the UAE’s national COVID-19 response.
Sheikh Ahmed said: “These are unprecedented times for the airline and travel industry, but we will get through it. Our business is taking a hit, but what matters in the long run is that we do the right thing for our customers, our employees, and the communities we serve. With the support and unity that we have seen from our employees, partners, customers, and other stakeholders, I’m confident that Emirates can tackle this challenge and come out stronger.”
South Africa will enforce a three-week lockdown over coronavirus, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday evening.
In a televised address to the nation, Ramaphosa said the 21-day lockdown will begin at midnight Thursday and he called on the country to “urgently and dramatically” escalate its response.
“Immediate, swift and extraordinary action is required if we are to avoid human costs of this virus,” said Ramaphosa, adding that if the nation failed to act swiftly, it could face “a human catastrophe of enormous proportions.”
In the week since the country declared a state of national disaster, the number of confirmed cases has increased sixfold, Ramaphosa said, especially troubling in a country with a large immune-suppressed population of HIV and tuberculosis suffers.
“The action we are taking now will have lasting economic costs,” said Ramaphosa. “But we are sure that the cost of not acting now will be far greater.”
As of Monday, South Africa has more than 400 confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize — the highest number so far for any country in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
Under the lockdown, people will not be allowed to leave their homes except to buy food, medical supplies, collect social grants or seek medical attention.
All shops and businesses will be closed except for pharmacies, supermarkets, petrol stations and health care providers as well as laboratories, banks and other essential financial services. Essential personnel including health care workers, emergency and security personnel necessary to the response will also be exempt.
The South African National Defense Force will be deployed to assist the South African Police Service, Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa implored South Africans to act in the interest of the nation and not out of self-interest.
“We are a nation of one and we are surely going to prevail,” said Ramaphosa.
As a result of the COVID-19 crisis in Europe, UEFA has formally taken the decision to postpone European club finals originally scheduled for May 2020.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League Final, UEFA Europa League Final and UEFA Champions League Final have been postponed.
With European football already suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic, there was no possibility of the competitions reaching their scheduled conclusion at the end of May.
Uefa could authorise one-legged knockout matches for some Champions League and Europa League ties after postponing the finals., according to BBC Sport.
It is still hoped to play the respective finals on 27 June and 24 June, potentially at the end of mini tournaments to be played in Istanbul and Gdansk.
The Women’s Champions League final – originally scheduled for 24 May – has also been postponed.
There is no guarantee of these matches taking place though and work is now being undertaken to try to work out a formula that would allow the competitions to reach a conclusion.
One obvious difficulty is that matches in the men’s competitions are at different stages and countries may be allowed to restart professional football at different times.
In the Champions League, four last-16 ties have been concluded, while the second legs of the other four are still to take place. In the Europa League, six first-leg ties have been played but two remain outstanding.
While it is hard to see Uefa ruling out the second legs of ties that have already started, they may be willing to let the ones that have not – both involving Spanish sides playing Italian ones – be decided by a single game, with the venue to be decided by the toss of a coin.
Quarter-finals and semi-finals could also be played over a single game.
It has already been agreed that European club matches could be played on a weekend and it is also understood there is no longer any imperative for the Champions League to be the last club game of the season, raising the possibility of the qualifying rounds for the 2020-21 tournament beginning before the major leagues have concluded.
No decision has yet been made on rearranged dates. The working group, established last week as a result of the conference call among the stakeholders of European football, which was chaired by UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin, will analyse the options available. The group has already begun its examination of the calendar. Announcements will be made in due course.
Earlier today, the minister of health Jane Ruth Aceng, confirmed that there are eight new cases of COVID-19 in Uganda.
Currently Uganda has nine confirmed cases. According to WHO, there are 334,981 confirmed cases in 189 countries and 14,652 deaths.
Alluding to the minister, the eight cases are Ugandan nationals who traveled back from Dubai, UAE on the 20/03/2020 and on the 22/03/2020 aboard the Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines flights. Samples were taken from them upon arrival and released to go for self quarantine. To ministry of health’s dismay, eight out of the 36 samples tested positive.
The eight confirmed cases are in Kayunga, Nkokonjeru, Nsangi, Makindye, Ntinda,and Rubaga division.
The eight confirmed cases are currently in the community. According to world health organisation (WHO), the pandemic is Spreading at a terrible speed that is to say one person to three people a day. The eight are estimated to have infected over 24 people.
To date, a total of 2,661 travelers including Ugandans identified as potential risk have been either under self-quarantine or institutional quarantine. Of these, 1,356 are under follow up; 774 of these are under institutional quarantine while 582 are under self-quarantine.
She appealed to all travelers who have been in Dubai in the past two weeks to call the health desk on 0800-100-066 or 0800-203-033 for further follow-up.
Mean while, the President is today expected to address the nation in regard to the confirmed new cases and emphasize precaution measures setup by WHO.
