[3] On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
As a precautionary measure, on 18 March 2020, President Yoweri Museveni banned all incoming and outgoing travel to specified highly affected counties for a period of 32 days.
[96] Due to the high level of informality in Uganda's economy, it is not yet possible to assess the full magnitude of the economic impact of the lockdown, but the consequences for incomes and poverty are likely severe.
Research results from July 2020 show that many informal entrepreneurs in Kampala had no income at all during the lockdown, and hence had to dip into their own savings, rely on government food support, or ask for help from family or friends to survive.
[95] A number of Ugandan musicians have released songs with messages to the people about the prevention of the virus, including Bobi Wine, Bebe Cool, and Joanita Kawalya.