Re-opening of national park and tourism in Uganda
Re-opening of national park and tourism in Uganda : As the world was hit by the tremendous pandemic of COVID 19 the whole world and most activities come to a stop in the wake of trying to stop the spread of the virus, according to the guardian.com COVID 19 “CORONA VIRUS” origin is said to be bat as stated by scientists. From the birds the virus spread to pangolins then to humans, the first case of corona virus was infected by the virus from a bat in the world was discovered in 2019 in the world’s famous seafood market in Wuhan city of Hubei province in China. From one person the number of people infected by Corona Virus did skyrocket over 211,000 people in same city and China as well.
What started as a virus turned into a world pandemic calling for an international state of emergency as the virus started spreading and killing huge numbers of people, according to health experts and the World Health Organization Corona Virus “COVID” IS A ZOONOTIC which gives it ability to spread from animals and people. According to other researchers the virus spreads from cats to humans and affected with virus to another, common signs of the infection include respiratory symptom such as respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, running nose/ flu, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe and serious cases symptoms like pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and death are seen.
To slow down the spread of Corona virus prevent measures were put in place such as regular hand using , covering the mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing, keeping a social distance to an individual with symptoms of coughing and sneezing which are signs of respiratory illness and a symptom of Corona virus.
Corona virus case in Uganda was confirmed in late march, a 36 year old Ugandan business man was the first confirmed case as he had arrived from Dubai using Ethiopian Airlines. According to authorities at the airport he presented some symptoms of the virus such as poor appetite and fever, the case had contacted the virus from Dubai. As per procedures of corona emergency team and the health minister Dr.Jane Aceng the individual was taken to Entebbe Grade B Hospital for treatment in quarantine.
As the virus continued to spread in the world including Uganda, the government of Uganda under the directives of the president of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni the whole country was declared to be under a lock down which started on 18 March 2020. With immediate effect public gatherings, places of worship, weddings, music shows and every form of activity which gathered more than 10 people. International arrivals into the country where mandated to a forced 14 day in quarantine.
Among the affected activities by the pandemic corona virus “COVID 19” and lockdown was tourism as airports and national parks where closed from being accessed by any individual, tourism in Uganda came to a stop because the ministry was afraid that animals might contract the virus in case any infected tourist comes in contact with animals as per World Health Organization directives.
After a long time in lockdown, Uganda began easing its lockdown from 2nd June 2020 and on June 05th the Uganda wildlife authority the management of Uganda national parks realized a public statement on the reopening of the parks for tourism. As per the realized statement the Uganda wildlife Authority head office situated in Kampala is open for any enquiries, also all savannah national parks in Uganda are now open for any form of tourism activity however primate parks are still closed, savannah parks open for tourism include
- Queen Elizabeth national park
- Murchison falls national park
- Semuliki national park
- kidepo valley national park
- Lake Mburo national park
- mountain Elgon national park
- Mountain Rwenzori national park
The opening of the parks was followed by a set of guidelines to be strictly followed by tourists while on safari activities in these parks, these guidelines are to be adhered to as per the directives of His Excellence of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and they include
- Mandatory temperature screening is to be done at the key entrance gates of all national parks/ protected areas, the screening is to be done using non-contact infra-red thermometers.
- All tourist vehicles and boats have to carry half of their capacity in observance of social distance, this also includes delivery vans.
- Saloon types of vehicles are not permitted to carry out game drive activities in the parks/ protected areas
- groups of tourists exceeding 25 people shall not be permitted in the park at the same time in the same place
- Visitors of the park are advised and encouraged to carry their own face masks and sanitizers
- Events in the protected areas such as destination weddings are not permitted in the park
The operating in all national parks has been trained and provided with all the necessarily equipment to prevent them from contacting the virus and affecting the tourists such as face masks and sanitizers,.
Note : As tourists visiting these protected areas for a safari you are advised to follow the above guideline so as to enjoy the safari safely without spreading the Corona Virus much further.
