Gay rights activists get Covid-19 protective supplies
Over 86 LGBTI and mainstream human rights organisations in Uganda have received supplies of Personal Protective Equipment from the human rights organisation Defenders Protection Initiative (DPI).
By Kikonyogo Kivumbi
Supplies for fighting Covid-19 help human rights defenders keep their office premises open, with staff and visitors following strict procedures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Those procedures are spelled out in Public Health (Control of Covid-19) Rules, 2020.
So far 33 Ugandans have died of Covid-19. Amid an ongoing relaxation of restrictions, cases of new infections are still being reported, especially in the overcrowded parts of Kampala City.
In response to those risks, the registered non-governmental organisation DPI is expanding on the security and safety measures that it typically offers to civil society’s human rights defenders.
Ms Lean Munokoch, the programmes director at DPI, said the supplies include face masks and shields, sanitizers and medical infrared temperature measurement guns.
The deliveries come at a time when masks and other anti-Covid-19 materials are in short supply, especially among vulnerable and marginalised persons in Uganda. Many people cannot afford to buy a mask. Uganda government has started the distribution of free masks in some parts of the country to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Kikonyogo Kivumbi, the author of this article, is the executive director of the Uganda Health and Science Press Association.
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