According to the Economic Fighter League, although the decision to lockdown is a difficult one to make, it will greatly inure to the benefit of the country if the action is taken now rather than later. The group notes that it makes more sense for the government to lockdown now that the spread is manageable than wait for the situation to escalate and spiral out of control before considering the lockdown.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News, the head of Creative Arts and Advocacy Command of the fighter’s league, Namata Serumaga-Musisi indicated that although the lockdown is necessary, the government must also consider the economic plight of the poor and the needy.
“I acknowledge that it (lockdown) is a very difficult call to make. I’m very aware that a lot of people are in a situation where there will not be able to meet their economic needs. We just need to ask ourselves if we lock down now before it spreads to a point that we cant handle or we lock down in two weeks when its exploding? Which one are we going to be better able to handle, manage and deal with the situation?,” she quizzed.
She added, “for me, a lockdown now makes a lot more sense.”
Namata Serumaga-Musisi advocated that measures must be put in place to minimize the negative impacts the lockdown will bring on the poor and the needy in the society. She therefore called on the government and the Civil Society groups that, in the event of a lockdown, the poor must not be left to their fate but infrastructures must be put in place to provide for them.
“But then again, even as we are doing that, we have to be very clear that there are a lot of people who will not be able to financially cope with the lockdown. So the government and Civil Societies need to look at a way that we can support the people who are not being provided for in normal times are being provided for now,” the Head of Creative Arts and Advocacy Command of the fighter’s league advocated.
She stressed that “when the pandemic is now spread, that will be a huge problem.”
