By Rwakahangi Simon Peter, Mcips (UK), MBA (MAK)
The total opening of the economy by the President has deluded the public of the apparent existence of COVID-19. This is evidenced by laxity of the masses in observing the SOPs in public places and places of work. However, the virus is far from over as China has recorded more than 5,000 new confirmed cases of 15th/March/2022 – the highest daily count since the outbreak of the pandemic two years ago. China has once again put parts of its major cities under lockdown sincethe latest covid variant of Omicron spreads like wildfire. This calls for concern for Uganda as well.
According to the school calendar issued by Ministry of Education (MoES), schools are likely to close their first term on April 15, 2022 (Good Friday) and kids may become viral carriers across the country, as happened last year when education institutions were closed and students sent home. This may be compounded by the country’s current cold wet season. Therefore, the number of COVID cases are expected to surge in Uganda as well.
This would lead to an increase in the demand for Vaccines which might ultimately lead to their scarcity. This is based on the reality that Uganda has so far given out at least 16,672,943 doses of COVID vaccination about 18.8% of the country’s population as vaccinated, implying that the majority of the nationals are still unvaccinated.
The resurgence of the pandemic might lead to disruptions to businesses and work places such as rescheduling of flights, quarantining; hospitals are likely to face staffing deficits as well as putting too much pressure on the government to avail equipment. Events and shows might be halted. Schools might be thrown into pandemonium once more. Organizations might face staffing instability because some staff may choose to stay home due to fear of contracting the virus thus, organizations will be required to have greater schedule volatility.
China accounting for 35 percent of exports to Africa ($254 billion) as of December 2020 signifies an anticipated interruption in the global supply chain followed by a global increase in costs, particularly for goods manufactured in China. This will ultimately affect the cost of living in Uganda.
However, the impact of the Omicron variant might not be as great as it was with the earlier variants. This is attributed to the fact that the country has better instruments to deal with the pandemic than before. Public awareness is also very high.
Uganda’s Zero COVID approach, which has mostly depended on stringent border controls, mandatory testing to keep the virus under control since it first broke out in Uganda in early 2020 needs to be resounded. Observance of SOPs should be emphasized and enforced in schools, work places and all public places.
For the time being, China’s ability and powers to control the spread of the disease are our only hope. Leaders and managersof organizations, communities, and families are required to plan accordingly for any eventualities that might come along with the spread of the new variant.
