Masindi District COVID-19 Taskforce has closed the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) offices for 14 days after one of the staff tested positive for COVID-19.
Mr Patrick Baguma, the acting Masindi District Health Officer (DHO), said today that the UNRA offices were closed to ensure that the health authorities know the status of the other staff members who have been interacting with the patient.
The health officer said that last week the patient went to test at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) before receiving the results from the Ministry of Health yesterday that he tested positive for the virus.
Mr Baguma told our reporter in Masindi that the patient has been transferred to Hoima Regional Referral Hospital COVID-19 Management Unit for specialised treatment.
The acting DHO disclosed that 40 swabs have already been taken from the rest of the staff at UNRA offices in Masindi adding that they are now under self-quarantine for the mandatory 14 days as they wait for their results.
Mr Baguma said that the patient who is a senior officer has been interacting with many people who the ministry of health is now tracing.
A week ago, Masindi district recorded four cases of COVID-19 with the current one bringing to five the number of confirmed cases.
Mr Baguma revealed that among the confirmed cases is a police officer, a casual labourer, a business woman and now the staff at Masindi UNRA offices. The first case of COVID-19 in the district was recorded at the beginning of May, this year.
Following the positive results, Masindi District COVID-19 Taskforce is currently busy tracing for the contacts of all the confirmed cases, according to Mr Baguma, adding that the authorities are worried that all the cases are a result of community transmission.
The acting DHO reiterated his call to the community to observe to the guidelines set up by the ministry of health to guard against catching the disease.
Mr Baguma implored people who are yet to receive facemasks from the government to buy theirs as they wait for the government donated ones.
