President Museveni has moved to reassure tourists of the government’s determination to combat the Ebola disease, saying foreign visitors should not cancel their trips to Uganda.
“I would like to reassure the international community, tourists and conference organizers and the entire Ugandan population, that the Government has put in place measures to control the outbreak,” said Museveni on Tuesday night.
“The Ebola outbreak is localized to only 6 out of the 146 districts. Uganda remains safe and we welcome international guests,” he added.
The president’s remarks came against the backdrop of fears that the Ebola disease could negatively impact the tourism industry which was recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to the loss of human life, the economic effects of an Ebola outbreak are devastating. An Ebola outbreak impacts all sectors of the economy, and can have long-lasting effects.
As of Tuesday, there were a total of 141 confirmed cases of Ebola.
55 of these have died while 73 have recovered and 13 are admitted at the Ebola Treatment Units(ETUs).
However, no tourist on safari in Uganda has contracted Ebola.
In a national address, Museveni said he had been informed that tourists have been canceling their trips to Uganda and some have even postponed their bookings in hotels and lodges due to the Ebola outbreak.
International conferences and meetings have been postponed and some moved to other countries due to the Ebola outbreak.
“This is most unfortunate,” said Museveni, adding, “Government is doing all it takes to control this epidemic and avoid exportation outside Uganda.”
He added: “In this regard, the list of Ebola contacts has been availed to the Immigration Authorities to prevent them from international travel. In addition, there is screening at the airport and land border points of entry for temperature, symptoms and history of contact.”
