Uganda Reopens Schools After Two Years as Teachers Get Vaccines
Uganda Reopens Schools After Two Years as Teachers Get Vaccines
Uganda reopened schools Monday that were closed for nearly two years to slow the spread of Covid-19 as most educators have been partially inoculated against the virus and stringent safety measures have been put in place.
“Right now, we have better preparations to contain the spread of the disease in schools,” Denis Mugimba, spokesman for the Ministry of Education, said in the capital, Kampala. At least 73% of teachers have had their first vaccine dose and there is a robust surveillance system in schools, he said.
With one of the youngest populations in the world, Uganda had at least 15.2 million learners in education institutions by March 2020, when they were shut due to the outbreak of the pandemic, Mugimba said.
Universities and other institutions of higher education have already opened in a phased manner, he said.
The strategy is part of a more measured approach nations are taking to fight the virus despite an omicron-driven surge in infections.
It’s a sign that priorities have shifted to keeping economies functioning rather than imposing lockdowns that could put recoveries at risk.
East Africa’s third largest economy has recorded more than 153,000 Covid-19 cases since the disease was first identified in the country, and 4 million of a population of almost 43 million are fully vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.
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