Some Ugandans living in the country’s institutional quarantine have reportedly been having sex with each other, says the Permanent Secretary of the country’s Ministry of Health, Diana Atwine.
According to the country’s Ministry of Health, it was a worrying development since social distancing is one measure that can curb the spread of the disease, especially among this already-risky group.
Speaking on Uganda’s Radio One, Atwine, said they mainly worried that this would thwart the government’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus because these people leave their rooms to have sex with other people who they only met in quarantine centres.
“Ugandans are not serious. Some who are in quarantine have even begun having (sexual) affairs.
“They move to rooms of others in the hotels where we have placed them. Others like in Mulago move from their rooms to visit their colleagues who are in other rooms. This is too dangerous and it will distract our efforts,” said Atwiine.
She explained that this was a major reason why some people in quarantine have not been released even though they were to be there for 14 days.
She added that they have deployed security officers to the quarantine centres to stop or limit movements.
In March, the Ministry of Health gazetted 17 places to be used as isolation centres for those undergoing mandatory quarantine in a bid to stop the escalating Coronavirus cases.
The ministry said these places are located around Kampala city and Entebbe Municipality and were identified after an assessment to guarantee everyone’s safety regardless of their social status.
These areas include Hotels, Hospitals, lodges, and Universities. There are currently over 232 people under quarantine.
Uganda has, so far, recorded 54 cases with 7 recoveries.
