Ministry of Finance, UNRA Join Police as COVID-19 Penetrates Government Agencies

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has asked its security to ensure that all uninvited visitors present Covid-19 certificates before accessing the premises.

This is after 21 of their staff tested positive for Covid-19 following a screening exercise between August 19 and 21.

Mr Keith Muhakanizi, the permanent secretary, yesterday said the ministry will continue to undertake meetings using online platforms and that the public should avoid unnecessary visits to the offices.

“Interim results have indicated that at least 21 positive cases so far have been identified. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, we have contacted all staff and placed them under medical care. Their immediate close contacts will be subjected to mandatory isolation and quarantine,” he said.

Mr Muhakanizi added that the workforce has been scaled down to critical staff to minimize direct contact and maintain zero tolerance to laxity to safety protocols.

Meanwhile, seven staff at the Uganda National Roads Authority have also tested positive for COVID-19.

Of the six, five were confirmed from UNRA Headquarters, Nakawa Business Park while the other was identified at UNRA regional office in Masindi.

They tested positive for Covid-19 following a screening conducted between August 19 and 20 for which results for 222 samples out of 494 have been received.

These agencies join a long list of both government and private agencies that have reported infections in recent weeks. Key among others Uganda Police, OPM, KCCA, Ministry of ICT, Toyota, Parliament of Uganda, Vision Group and others.

Some of the other workplaces that have so far registered Covid-19 cases include; Malaysia Furnishing, Royal Pharma, NRM Secretariat and media houses such as NBS, NTV, BBS, New Vision, among others.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health confirmed 2,362 Covid-19 cases, with 99 new cases and two new deaths. The two latest deaths are a 35-year-old female trader from Kikuubo, Kampala, and a 36-year-old male from Kisenyi, a city suburb.

Police headquarters closed

Meanwhile, the Uganda Police headquarters in Kampala will be temporarily closed due to the pandemic.

Police spokesman Fred Enanga who was addressing the media in Kampala on Monday, said the three-day closure will allow for COVID-19 disinfection and testing of personnel for the virus.

Enanga's pronouncement comes on the backdrop of one senior Police officer  AIGP Asan Kasingye testing positive for the virus.