Uganda: Businesses, Schools, Buses, Can Now Legally Block You From Using Their Services If Not Vaccinated

By Jonah Kirabo

Any business, school or public place is now legally allowed to deny access or services to a person who is not vaccinated against Covid-19, Nile Post reports.

The development follows a new set of rules that have been approved by Cabinet to further limit the movement of the unvaccinated.

According to Cabinet spokesperson Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, Cabinet on Monday approved the recommendation to extend the vaccination mandate to different categories of workers, giving way to this new rule.

"A vaccine mandate just means that if you are not vaccinated, businesses, schools and others can legally stop you from entering the building or using services if they choose to," Baryomunsi said.

Baryomunsi explained that the new rule is a requirement that says, "You must be vaccinated to do certain things like working, travelling, or even attending gatherings like wedding, concerts etc."

The minister of ICT and National Guidance said that this is meant to protect Ugandans against the new Omicron variant that is spreading all over the world.

In Uganda, the Health Ministry has so far reported 25 cases of the Omicron variant. The ministry has also reported a surge of COVID-19 cases, with the country now reporting 4.4 percent transmission rate in the last one week.

The vaccine mandates were initially put in place by government entities such as the Ministry of Health, National Medical Stores, among others.

The mandates however faced resistance from sections of the public and civil society organisations, saying that they were illegal.

Early this week, authorities set up road blocks on roads in Fort Portal town, and forced all unvaccinated travelers to either get vaccinated or return to where they were coming from.

With the new rules, this is now expected to continue.

The country is expected to fully re-open the economy, including schools and the entertainment sector in January.

This article originally appeared on allAfrica

Photo: WHO Africa