“Tighten COVID-19 safety measures” – Kampala Industrial & Business Park Taskforce Chairman Cautions Operators
Kampala Industrial & Business Park COVID-19 task force has cautioned residents and operators in the area to continue observing safety precautions and Standard Operating Procedures in the continued fight against COVID-19. This comes after a reported increase in COVID-19 cases registered in Mukono District with majority originating from Kampala Industrial and Business Park in Namanve.
The increasing infections within the area have been traced to the factories, business premises, the residential areas and marketplaces frequented by the employees of organizations within the park.
Due to the alarming numbers and the risk posed by business activity in the area, a COVID-19 Taskforce was set up in October that constitutes representatives of the different factories and businesses within the Park and various representatives of the Government offices as a platform for the residents and operators within the Park to implement all measures aimed at controlling and stopping the spread of COVID-19 within their premises and surrounding areas.
According to Simon Kaheru, Communication and Public Affairs Director, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, and the current chairperson of the Kampala Industrial & Business Park COVID-19 Task Force, the statistics of infection within Mukono District raise serious concerns as more than 200 COVID-19 cases have been registered in Mukono district and, so far, one death has been attributed to the disease. More worryingly, each case couldeasily be linked to 25 contacts, meaning that 5,000 people more could be potential cases if certain measures were not followed strictly.
The Task force has passed out a communication stipulating what is expected of all operators in the affected areas:
• Every factory and business operation within the Kampala Industrial & Business Park is advised to establish a COVID-19 Committee. This Committee will work together with the COVID-19 Task Force and the Government of Uganda to coordinate efforts to fight this disease. The members of the COVID-19 Committees will be the keycontact persons on matters to do with COVID-19 within your premises.
“We can not handle a second lockdown, after this recent one that shock our economy to the bone. So as a business community, it’s important that we adhere to these guidelines and minimize the increase of cases in our specific premises. I believe, if we work together, we can beat this setback and grow stronger,” he concluded.