Christopher Omara, the Otuke Resident District Commissioner who is also chairperson District Task Force explained that the LCIs should ensure that a maximum of 5 people are allowed at a water point at a go.
Leadership from various
districts in Lango sub region are crafting by-laws and practical measures to ensure
that the people abide by the COVID-19 prevention Standard Operating Procedures -SOPs. Concerned citizens and soldiers are enthusiastically administering corporal punishment to violators in some places.
In Amolatar District,
specifically Namusale Town council, the authorities have deployed UPDF soldiers
from Namasale barrack to the different streets to enforce adherence to the
SOPs.
URN reporter who visited
Namasale town council saw the soldiers randomly giving strokes of cane to those
found not wearing facemask and those crowded together without social distancing.
After walloping them, the soldiers force the locals to immediately buy cheap face masks at 5,000 Shillings from the
officers who move with them in their pockets.
Denis Onyum, a resident of
Namasale Town council says people who were relaxed about observing the SOPs are quickly learning it the hard way.
Luo byte:
//Cue in: “Inamasale bot
wa…
Cue out: … ikom mask
kanene.”//
According to Onyum, people
who gather in groups to take local brew (abwa) within the Town are not spared
either. Although most of them take off upon seeing the officers, a few who
would be drunk at the moment always get the canes.
The same scenario is
happening in Lira where concerned residents especially boda-boda riders have
taken it upon themselves to ensure people follow the guidelines. They are
moving around beating anyone not wearing a mask.
At Oyam town council in
Oyam District, the authorities have come up with by-laws to be followed by
everyone living within the area.
The by-law includes rounding
off all shops with a string and establishing a hand washing facility at the
entrance, displaying Covid-19 awareness messages in and around town and
daytime
patrol by police and Covid-19 taskforce team. All those found not wearing a
face mask and flouting the above guidelines will be arrested.
Robert Okello, the Officer
in charge Oyam Central Police Station acknowledged that security are already
enforcing the guidelines saying it requires a collective responsibility if the
goal is to be achieved.
Eng byte:
//Cue in: “We have
already…
Cue out: … arrested and
prosecuted.”//
They have also tasked all
students who came back home from places like Kampala, Wakiso and Jinja to go
for the mass Covid-19 testing and vaccination at the District’s health
department.
Meanwhile in Otuke
District, the task force has instructed all local council one chairpersons to ensure
that all water points are equipped with hand washing facilities.
Christopher Omara, the
Otuke Resident District Commissioner who doubles as the chairperson District
Task Force explained that the LCIs should ensure that a maximum of 5 people are
allowed at a water point at a go.
Eng byte:
//Cue in: “It’s true that…
Cue out: … they implement
it.”//
Mildred Arao, a resident
of Amuk village, Ogwete sub county in Otuke District acknowledges that the
greatest area of risk of infection is the water point since the entire
household in the village shares the same borehole.
The same view is shared
by another resident who identified herself as Esther. She asked the district to
provide hand sanitizers and liquid soaps for hand washing at the borehole.
