COVID-19: Museveni Warns On Fake News But Says ‘We may have to take more drastic measures’

With five new cases of COVID-19, on Friday, March 27 —bringing Uganda’s total infected persons to 23, President Yoweri Museveni says there might be a need for more drastic measures to curb the spread of the killer virus.

In a statement shared on his personal social media pages including Facebook on Saturday morning, the President says he’ll let the country know what these measures are.

“We may have to take additional drastic measures. I will keep you informed,” the president wrote.

Although the number is growing, Mr. Museveni, however, says he remains happy to see that the majority of returnees from Dubai’s United Arab Emirates are negative which means they don’t have the virus.

However, he says the worry is that the people who are positive had circulated in the population but “the medical teams will trace all the contacts and check on them.”

The President has already closed schools, Churches and other social gatherings to stop the spread of the coronavirus. He also closed borders, the airport and banned public transport as well as roadside markets.

In a subsequent tweet however, Mr Museveni warned about fake news after some unknown person(s) doctor a message attributed to the president.

“My team has informed me of this wrong message (see picture) being distributed. I have not made any such declaration as of today. I discourage the heartless people trying to alarm Ugandans with these falsifications. Whoever is behind such should desist from it henceforth.”

Full Statement below:

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Dear Countrymen , Countrywomen and the Bazzukulu.

Greetings again.

227 returnees from Dubai and other places were tested, 5 were positive. This brings the number to 23 who are positive.

Although the number is growing, I am still happy to see that the majority of returnees are negative which means they don’t have the virus.

However, the worry is that the people who are positive had circulated in the population.

Nevertheless, the medical teams will trace all the contacts and check on them.
We may have to take additional drastic measures. I will keep you informed.

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
Gen. (rtd)
President of Uganda