At Signpost International we want to continue to keep you up to date with the current Coronavirus situation in the countries and communities we work in.
At the time of publishing (12.30pm on Wednesday 15th July 2020) this is the current situation in the countries we work in.
Uganda
There are now 1,029 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Uganda and no confirmed cases in the communities we work in. Uganda continues to take tentative steps after lifting lockdown but there are still many restrictions in place with many businesses still closed along with places of worship and schools. The European Union have channeled €1 million to aid organisations in Uganda to respond to the humanitarian needs caused by the Coronavirus. They have also announced that they will provide €24 million in humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable people in Uganda in 2020, with a special focus on refugees and their host communities. Also this week the government along with the United Nations World Food Programme announced that they are distributing take-home food rations to school children in the Karamoja sub-region in north-eastern Uganda. This is to support home-learning while schools remain closed due to COVID-19. The take-home food distributions will run for the next month covering more than 300 schools in all Karamoja’s nine districts. Nearly 130,000 children will each receive a ration of maize, dry beans, and fortified vegetable oil.
Tanzania
Still no new Coronavirus data released by the government. After schools reopened at the start of July there are now only a few restrictions in place in the country and last week the country reopened its tourism industry.
The Philippines
There are now 58,850 confirmed cases of the virus with a death toll of 1,614 in the Philippines, with no confirmed cases in the community we work in. In the past week the Philippines have recorded Southeast Asia’s biggest daily jump in Coronavirus deaths and in the capital city of Manila the government along with several large hospitals have said critical care capacity had been reached. Since the country lifted lockdown restrictions on 1st June the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have tripled. Yesterday the government announced that the Philippine authorities and police will carry out house to house searches for COVID-19 patients to prevent wider transmission. People who test positive for COVID-19 are no longer allowed to self-isolate at home and are taken to state-run quarantine centres. Interior Minister Eduardo Año urged the public to report cases in their neighbourhoods. He warned that anyone who refused to cooperate faced imprisonment. Año said, “We don’t want positive patients to stay home in quarantine especially if their homes don’t have the capacity. So what we will do is go house to house and we will bring the positive cases to our COVID-19 isolation facilities.” This announcement yesterday has already sparked anger from human rights groups and the National Union of People’s Lawyers have said the decision would; “sow fear in our communities and trample on our rights.” Please do pray for the Philippines during this very uncertain time as COVID-19 cases rise and fear and anxiety heightens after yesterday’s government announcement.
