KAMPALA -- Uganda has announced that it would distribute emergency relief to communities that have been affected by the Ebola containment measures starting next week.
Minister of State for Information, Communication, Technology and National Guidance Godfrey Kabbyanga in a statement issued in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, Friday said the beneficiary communities are those in the epicenter of the outbreak, Mubende and Kassanda districts. The two districts were last weekend put under total lockdown in an effort to contain the spread of the deadly disease.
Kabbyanga said the Office of the Prime Minister will distribute relief food to vulnerable groups including market vendors, taxi drivers, and saloon operators.
The minister said some containment measures have been relaxed as the infection rate drops. He said boda boda riders in the districts under lockdown have been allowed to move but carrying only luggage and not passengers.
The country had so far registered 65 positive cases and 27 deaths by Thursday since the outbreak was reported on Sept. 20, according to the data given by the Ministry of Health.
The minister urged the public to remain vigilant to ensure that the epidemic is eliminated in the shortest time possible.