Following a recent Ebola outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a number of imported cases registered within the country, the Ugandan government has officially announced a sweeping set of temporary emergency measures, including travel suspensions and a ban on large gatherings.
The directives were issued following a high-level National Taskforce meeting convened on Thursday by Vice President Jessica Alupo to assess the growing health threat. According to the Ugandan Ministry of Health, these drastic actions are strictly temporary and intended to safeguard the public from danger while the government aggressively intensifies its response infrastructure and emergency preparedness efforts to prevent the disease from spreading to different parts of the country.
To minimize the risk of cross-border transmission, the government has suspended all direct flights between Uganda and the DRC, ordering the directive to take effect within 48 hours. Additionally, cross-border passenger land transport and public passenger ferry services across the River Semuliki have been halted for four weeks.
However, the Ministry of Health clarified that because this suspension strictly targets human movement to protect the economic supply chain from disruption, the transportation of cargo, commercial trucks, and essential goods will be allowed to continue uninterrupted. The Ministry stated that these emergency measures are designed to minimize cross-border transmission as medical teams intensify surveillance, contact tracing, and overall emergency preparedness efforts.
Domestically, strict restrictions are being enforced in high-risk border zones adjacent to the DRC. The government has temporarily suspended weekly markets in border sub-counties, as well as cultural and social celebrations that attract large crowds in districts along the Uganda-DRC border. Among these, the famous annual “Empango” cultural celebrations in Bunyoro Kingdom, which draw massive crowds, have been suspended due to Ebola fears.
Health officials stated they will continue to monitor the border region closely to determine when it will be safe to lift the restrictions. Meanwhile, tensions around the domestic health response have heightened following Uganda’s rejection of claims made by the United States regarding the establishment of new Ebola treatment centers in the country; nonetheless, health officials maintain that the current lockdown measures are vital and urged the public to support government efforts to fully contain the outbreak.
