Uganda reopens schools amid spike in Covid-19 cases

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday said schools, tertiary colleges and universities will reopen for candidate classes and finalist students amid the recent spike of Covid-19 cases.

In a televised address, Museveni said schools, colleges and universities will reopen for the 1.2 million students in candidate classes and finalists in tertiary colleges and universities on October 15.  

"We think that it is safe because finalists in each learning institution are a much smaller number compared to the total enrollment," said Museveni.  

Finalists account for less than 10 percent of the total number of students, and "therefore, each group of finalists will have bigger space for social-distancing -- whether they are in day schools or boarding schools," he said.

A plan of further reopening schools for non-finalist learners will be decided by January 2021, he added.

Museveni earlier this month directed a national taskforce fighting against Covid-19 to review the possibility of a phased reopening of schools, colleges and universities after they were closed since March.  

As of Sunday, Uganda has recorded 6,287 Covid-19 cases, 2,616 recoveries and 63 deaths, according to the health ministry.