“I have no issue with being quarantined. But what we were in was not quarantine. It was prison. Worse than prison. At least prisoners are fed posho and beans.”
A foreign resident who was discharged recently from Entebbe Central Inn says life during quarantine was “like living in hell”.
When he arrived at Entebbe International Airport, he was told he would spend 14 days in institutional quarantine having returned from the United States of America, which is one of countries highly affected by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
However, on the 14th day, the health minister said all individuals must be tested for COVID-19, and those found negative would be discharged. As a result, he and 57 others spent more than 14 days at Entebbe Central Inn.
“I spent 17 days in quarantine. And it was hell. Particularly the first 3 days,” says the foreign resident who has lived in Uganda for 5 years now.
This was because the government did not respond to travelers’ concerns about mandatory quarantine.
“We stood on the tarmac at the airport for 4 hours with no answers. Packed onto a Coaster like sardines with no answers, and dumped at Central Inn with no answers. There was no MOH personnel for the first 2 days. No medical personnel for the first 4 days,” he added.
The US national attended the heated meeting between the health minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, with travelers over institutional quarantine. “All we were told to do was “shut up.” That’s an exact quote from the minister herself when we tried to ask questions.”
He argues that they had to complain because “we were given no beds the first night so we stood in the foyer all night long. Some people slept on the floor,” added the expert who also added that they also did not get food in the first 2 days at the hotel.
“Our first meals came from a local NGO that I contacted to try to bring us some water and snacks,” he says. He is a director of a Non governmental organisation – NGO in Uganda.
“I have no issue with being quarantined. But what we were in was not quarantine. It was prison. Worse than prison. At least prisoners are fed posho and beans.”
However, by day 3, there was regular meal service and staff called each room before meal time to take an order then delivered to rooms.
“Food when we did finally get fed was by self serve buffet!! For days 3 and 4 every person in quarantine touched the same serving utensils and ate. Ridiculous.” The situation changed however after he complained in the media and his embassy intervened.
From day 5, the hotel management started serving meals inside the rooms of individuals. The medical team also started monitoring his body temperature daily.
From day 4 to day 14, he would wake up around 6am every morning, read most of the day other than times to talk to his “wife who was left alone at home to care for our children, one of who has severe needs and requires 24/7 care.”
Though he had now got where to sleep and was receiving regular meals where he ate pasta, beans, rice, vegetables, fruits, he did not know the quarantine standard operating procedures.
“If they (health ministry) had the foresight to have had a simple paper with details and instructions for quarantine, and medical staff on premises, I would have understood. But they didn’t respect us enough to even do that. Literally treated like dogs.”
He adds, “Literally, everything I learned I found out through presidential addresses and hearsay online.”
So when his samples were drawn for testing on the 15th day, and found negative of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he was excited.
He therefore says it was during quarantine that he has ever experienced “the most extreme human rights violations.”
“This wasn’t about safety. It was only to give the appearance to the population that the MOH was actually doing something. I can guarantee they have eaten millions in foreign aid while we paid almost Shillings 200,000 per night for terrible conditions.”
As a director of an NGO, he says he has “brought billions in relief into this country. Paid taxes for 5 years. And treated like a rat.”
As result, he says will leave Uganda. “After 5 years it was my home. I loved it. But I can’t risk my family like this in future.”
Joan Akello
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