As the country comes to the end of the extended 21 days lockdown, the government is worried about lifting the lockdown due to the careless behaviour of some citizens.

While addressing the press on Sunday, May 3, the permanent Secretary of the ministry of health, Dr Diana Atwine showed worry at the recklessness of Ugandans.

“Ugandans do not learn. They will go back on the streets and socialise,” Dr Atwine said. There are reports that experts on the Covid-19 taskforce have advised the President to extend the lockdown for 21 more days. The experts say there are still cases cropping from within the community. Last a man in Masindi tested positive. He was discovered through the ongoing assessment that is target 20,000 people across the country. Experts say, lifting the lockdown will disrupt the process.

“Many parts of the country people have resumed to business as usual which is worrying the authorities,” Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine told the press last week.

It is obvious to witness such situations in many countries across the world. Governments appear to be struggling to curb the increasing number of Covid-19 cases. The general consensus is that citizen negligence and unaccountability have caused such a crisis. The pandemic has resulted in significant losses for businesses, however, many countries are reluctant to lift the restrictions and end the lockdown. This is because they fear that people will ignore the guidelines and socialize as they used to.

In spite of that, there are some countries, such as New Zealand, Iceland, and the UK, which appear to be performing well in ending lockdowns. A major reason for this is the proper adherence to safety protocols and the minimization of human contact. To accomplish this, governments and people took the help of technology to reduce constant human contact. For example, instead of hiring maids for weekly home cleaning, automatic vacuum cleaners (like robot vacuum for hardwood floors) were used for cleaning floors. Also in retail stores, contactless checkout systems have been introduced. According to the above examples, other countries can also reduce the number of Covid-19 cases using various methods and by educating their people.

Meanwhile, the president is expected to address the nation on the issue of the lockdown today May 4 at exactly 4:00 pm.