Panic ensued in Arua town on Wednesday, after locals learnt that a Chinese National working with Chinese International Construction Company-CICO checked in at a local hotel on Tuesday self-isolate with intentions to isolate himself following his return from China.
It is reported that shortly after his arrival into the country from China where he had traveled for leave, the man called up the company driver to pick him up from Entebbe International Airport, but upon arrival at their company offices in Euata village in Arua, his colleagues kept a distance and asked him to find someplace where he could isolate himself fearing that he could be infected with the corona virus.
The man late requested the driver to take him to a hotel in Arua town where he checked in a self-contained room by some workers who didn’t know that he had just returned from China.
The workers only discovered that their Chinese guest is in isolation when his colleagues sent him food and protective gear. This prompted the hotel workers to alert security, who in turn alerted the District Health Officer to assess the situation.
This means the driver and hotel staff that may have had contact with him are at risk of catching the disease if he tests positive.
According to Dr. Paul Bishop Drileba, the Arua District Health Officer who led a team of health officers to visit the Chinese national, they have asked that he keeps in his room 14 days, saying they will access his health status again to clear him.
The Arua Deputy Resident District Commissioner Alice Akello says the Chinese national was taken to another place due to pressure from the hotel.
On December 31st 2019, the Coronavirus outbreak was reported in China. On Wednesday March 11th, the World Health Organization, WHO declared in a pandemic after it reached more than 100 countries.
“There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives. Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals. In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic” a statement from the WHO reads.
WHO defines a pandemic as the worldwide spread of a new disease for which most people do not have immunity.
While Uganda has no confirmed case as of today, several measures are being taken to ensure the virus does not get into the country. The Ministry has for several weeks now asked foreigners and Ugandans entering the country from affected countries, to self-isolate for 14 days.
