Corona Virus (COVID-19) – The Epidemic That Has Paralyzed The World In Less Than 90 Days

As we speak today the world is under a state of disarray and confusion on what to do and how to curb the ever-increasing spread of Corona Virus (COVID-19).  What began as a simple flu in a Chinese province of Wuhan has now proven to be a global epidemic with no cure hence living the global village polarized and disorientated on what to do next.

How Did Corona Virus Start?

History of Coronavirus.wuhan city (corona virus)

In the world of pathology, Coronavirus (COVID-19) is not an entirely new virus at all but rather just a new strain that has evolved from the other viruses which have existed before such as MARS and SERS. However, Corona Virus seems to be more serial than the former 2 combined given the number of causalities it has claimed in its wake. However, this recent outbreak can be traced back to a Chinese province of Wuhan about 3 months ago when the virus was first reported among citizens of this province. It is believed that coronavirus origin started from animals then it got transmitted to people since it was first discovered in people who were trading in sea foods in the city’s seafood market

What are The Signs and Symptoms of Corona Virus?

The signs and symptoms of Corona virus are no different from the signs of a common flu or cold and these include

  • Fever

  • Cough

  • Flue

  • Shortness or difficulty in breathing

  • Muscle pain

Which People are at Risk of Contracting Corona Virus? 

According to health experts, people with weak immune systems are the ones who have the highest chances of contracting this deadly virus however there is no guarantee that you won’t contract the virus if you have a strong immune system.

Is there  Coronavirus Cure?

No! ,As for now, scientists say there is no proper cure for this deadly virus and the current anti biotics available on the market are of no great use since this is a pneumonia virus which renders the antibiotics treatment ineffective against the virus.

What is the Global Number of Corona Virus Infections? 

Global update on Corona Virus infections.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report on the Corona Virus infections. Since the declaration of the COVID-19 outbreak on 31 December 2020, a total of over 134000 cases, including close to 5000 deaths (case fatality ratio 3.4%), have been reported globally. As of 11th March 2020, over 110 countries  & territories have reported laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 casesInfected Countries World Wide

Image illustrating corona virus infected areas worldwide

Is there Corona Virus in Africa?

Africa still has the lowest cases of Coronavirus on the planet.

Africa has defied all odds to still be the only continent with the list number of confirmed cases of Coronavirus. This virus has been declared in 14 different African countries of Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Togo, Egypt, DRC, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Morocco according to results published the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.  Many African countries which include Uganda, Rwanda and many others are yet to register any confirmed case of Coronavirus within their territories.

Is Uganda Free From Corona Virus?

Yes, at this moment, Uganda is one of the many other African countries that are yet to register any case of Coronavirus. However, the government under its Ministry of Health is on red alert to combat this new epidemic should there be an outbreak of the viral infection in Uganda.

What are the Measures Undertaken by The Government to Control Corona Virus Outbreak in Uganda?

Measures Put up by the Ugandan government to Control the outbreak of Coronavirus in Uganda.

As the government ready’s itself to combat Coronavirus in case there is an outbreak, several measures have been put in place to ensure that the general population is safe from the spread.measures taken  Some of these include the following.

  • Mandatory screening of all people entering the country at all official major airports.
  • Sensitizing the public to do thorough hand washing with soap and this
  • Sensitization of the general public about the symptoms of Coronavirus and encouraging people to report suspected cases of Coronavirus to the nearest general hospitals for testing.
  • Avoid unnecessary body contacts such as hugging, handshaking, kissing which may aid the spread of the virus

The Ministry of Health of Uganda has also has categorized other countries under 3 different groups basing on the difference in the level of risk of Coronavirus infections in these countries and it has advised travellers who wish to visit Uganda to see under which category their country of origin is before they visit Uganda as mitigation factor.

Countries in Category 1

People residing in the following 17 countries UK, USA, Italy, China, San Marino, Iran, South Korea, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Malaysia, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland. Travellers from these countries who intend to visit Uganda should consider postponing non-essential visits to Uganda. All travellers from these countries including Ugandan nationals will be subjected to a self-quarantine for 14 days on their arrival to Uganda even if they do not exhibit signs and symptoms of the COVID-19. Additionally, people from these countries who insist on visiting Uganda will be subjected to self-isolation or institutional (health facility) quarantine at their own cost

Countries in Category 2:

For the following countries Finland, Philippines, Indonesia, and Pakistan the Ministry of health will observe the travellers very closely and the evolution of the outbreak in these countries and advise on any restrictions in the coming weeks. India has been dropped from Category 2 to Category 3.

Countries in Category 3:

The rest of the travellers from other countries not listed above will undergo routine screening upon arrival and will be advised accordingly on the measures to undertake to prevent infection and where to report when not feeling well.

However, Uganda is not new to cases of an outbreak of epidemic disease and more than once the Ugandan health officials have fought and worn against deadly disease outbreaks such as Ebola & Cholera, this, therefore, makes us confident that even when Coronavirus gets here, it will be well managed Uganda health sector that has a quite an impressive record of handling deadly outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health will be updating these categories on a weekly basis every Wednesday begining on the 11th of March 2020.

Is it Safe to Travel for a Safari Tour in Uganda Now?

Yes, you can still safely visit Uganda and indulge yourself in an epic Uganda tour experience since the Uganda Tourism sector under its various agencies and authorities that govern tourism in Uganda such as Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWEC), Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) and many others have come up with several measures to ensure that tourists who visit Uganda remain safe and also keeping the safety of animals and the measures come

  • All tourist vehicles should have medicated sanitizers and disposal hand wipes to enable the tourists they carry regular wash their hands
  • All tourists who engage in communal activities such as gorilla trekking, boat cruises, should wear nose masks to limit chances of contacting Coronavirus from other clients with whom they engage these activities.
  • Observing the 7-meter rule while observing the gorillas so as to reduce chances of either passing on or contacting any disease between the gorillas and tourists.
  • Tour operators who have clients intending to visit Uganda have been advised to encourage their clients to come with their own recommended nose masks (N95) type as a mitigation factor to combat the spread of this disease
  • Places of accommodation such as lodges/resorts and hotels have been advised to provide handwashing facilities with soap to their clients and also encourage their clients to wash their hands regularly.
  • UTB has advised client/ tourists from countries that are worst hit by the Coronavirus such as China, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Iran and Pakistan who intend to visit Uganda in the near coming months to reconsider their travel plans for the meantime as the country tries to keep its free from Coronavirus outbreak

Why you should visit Uganda this year 2020?

Uganda is one of those countries that offer you a wholistic Africa adventure safari experience as it has everything you need in an epic Africa Safari adventure.

Experience a magical gorilla trekking Uganda experience with a memorable gorilla safari in Uganda to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park or Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. A gorilla trip in Uganda, rewards you with a stunning face to face encounter with these incredible humans of the wild as you get to watch them go about their daily activities from point-blank range. This grants you an opportunity to photograph these magical beings in their natural habitat to have this magical reunion captured and immortalized forever. Besides this having an encounter with the gorillas on this gorilla tour you can still engage in a variety of other activities on your Uganda gorilla tour and these include birding since these 2 gorilla destinations have numerous bird species which await you on your birding adventure there, nature hikes and a cultural encounter with the Batwa.  

Mountain_Gorilla

There is a lot more a Uganda safari can offer to anyone who visits Uganda than just gorillas. This is simply due to the fact that Uganda is also home to a wide variety of mammals which include lions, African leopards, African bush elephants, cape buffaloes and the rhinos and many other wild mammals that can be seen on Uganda wildlife safaris to any of the savanna parks of Uganda such as Queen Elizabeth national park Uganda, Kidepo valley national park Uganda, Lake Mburo national park Uganda and Murchison falls national park Uganda. Uganda’s spectacular and diverse culture which comes with 60 indigenous tribes fascinates many travellers and some of the highly intriguing local tribes in Uganda include the Baganda majorly because of their rich cultural history and food like the “luwombo” which is can chicken/beef/ stew that has been steamed in banana fibres. The Batwa is another tribe of people that intrigues many Uganda safari tours –goers, because these people have managed to co-exist with the giant mountain gorillas in the tropical forests of Bwindi long for over a 1000 years and also because of relative body size as they are relatively shorter than the average people in east Africa. Jinja Source of the Nile which is renowned for various attractions which include the source of the Nile, Itanda falls, birds, Lake Victoria. These give you a base to engage in a number of safari activities in Jinja source of the Nile which include bungee jumping, white water rafting, horse riding, quad biking and kayaking. If you decide to have an overnight stay in Jinja, the town has various accommodations in Jinja source of the Nile you can choose from and these include Explorers River Camp, Nile River Camp, Jinja Nile Resort, Samuka Island Retreat, Source of The Smile Hotel and Guesthouse. Prime safaris has distinguished itself as one of the best companies that offer Jinja day trips/ 1 day Jinja source of the Nile tours/ 1 day Jinja tour in Uganda.

Would you like to visit Uganda and see what makes this country a destination that’s on the rise? Prime safaris offers various safari packages to many of these destinations. Contact us today and we will gladly serve you. Here are some of our best-selling safari packages

white water rft

At Wild Gorilla Safaris, we strive to meet all your Africa safari needs as we have got virtually the safari packages that will give you a memorable Africa safari experience. For anyone interested in Uganda wildlife safaris packages we have got you covered with wide range of packages that are tailored basing on the number of days you have and the destination you would like to visit on your Uganda safari tour. If you’ve got only a few days, then choose from our short Uganda wildlife safaris which run from 2 days to 5 days such as 2 days Uganda wildlife safari to Murchison falls or 5 days Uganda wildlife safari with chimpanzees and many more. For those that have got more than 5 days, then I suggest pick from our compressive long Uganda wildlife safaris that run from 6 days to as many as 21 days such as

On top of an epic Uganda safari adventure to many of these savanna parks, you have an opportunity to encounter mountain gorillas. Yes, a Uganda gorilla tour experience is very possible when you visit gorilla trekking Uganda destinations Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park.  A Uganda gorilla safari to any of these parks gives you an opportunity to meet any of the 19 gorilla families that have been habituated to give you nothing but the ultimate Uganda gorilla tours experience, you can ever think of.

If you’re interested Uganda gorilla safaris these are available in both short Uganda gorilla safari packages such as 3 days gorilla tours in Bwindi and 4 days Bwindi gorilla tour and wildlife in Lake Mburo. There are also long Uganda gorilla tours that run from 6 days to as many as 18 days while featuring many other things along the way to the gorillas. After a magical gorilla tour in Uganda, you can always visit Lake Bunyonyi Uganda and enjoy the stunning views of this magical lake. A visit to Lake Bunyonyi gives you an opportunity to experience a boat ride on Africa’s second deepest lake.

Rwanda is also another gorilla destination you wouldn’t want to miss out on, hence if you are planning for a Rwanda gorilla safari package, check out some of our Rwanda gorilla tours packages which also come in form of short Rwanda gorilla gorilla safaris for those that have got only a few days in Rwanda but those that have got more days, then Long Rwanda gorilla trekking safari packages will do you good as they also give you a chance to visit other Rwanda safari attractions.

Congo as well is another gorilla destination and we have numerous Congo gorilla safari packages that will take you on a Congo gorilla tour adventure to either Virunga National Park for an encounter with mountain gorillas or Kahuzi Beiga National Park where you will encounter Eastern lowland gorillas. Besides gorilla safaris and wildlife encounters in Uganda, you can still explore Uganda’s diversity using any of our wide range of day trips that visit other sites that are near the capital city Kampala or Entebbe international airport such as a Mabamba birding day trip to Mabamba island Kampala city tour day tour Jinja day tour and 1 day Ngamba island chimpanzee safari. Check out our great east Africa safari to such as Kenya safari tours and Tanzania safari tour that take you on an Africa wildlife safari adventure to Kenya and Tanzania respectively.

Here are some popular packages we do offer in Uganda & Beyond

5 days gorilla safari in Congo & Nyiragongo hiking