Museveni declares Friday public holiday for COVID-19 National prayers

Nakasero – President Museveni has declared Friday, June 25, 2021, a public holiday and also the fourth National Prayer Session for interdenominational prayers as the country battles a rise in Coronavirus infections.

In a statement issued Thursday, Ms. Linda Nabusanyi, the Senior Presidential Press Secretary, confirmed the development.

“The President has used powers given to him under Section 2(2) of the Public Holidays Act to declare tomorrow a public holiday to enable the country to hold prayers to seek for God’s intervention in the ongoing Covid pandemic,” read a section of the statement.

Adding: “The prayers will be held virtually at State House Entebbe at mid-day but the leaders of the various religious denominations will lead the prayers via zoom.”

Uganda has recorded 74,260 Covid infections and 752 deaths since March last year but in the last month, the number of infections has increased by 17 folds whereas the number of deaths has also more than doubled.

The Born-Again Christians, Pentecostals and Evangelicals will base from Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral, the Seventh day Adventist Uganda Union will base at Kireka Hill, Catholics will base at St. Mary’s Rubaga Cathedral, the Orthodox will be at St, Nicholas Cathedral Namungoona, while the Protestants will be at All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero and the Muslims at Ghadafi National Mosque, Old Kampala.

Members of the public have been asked to attend prayers from their homes through radios, TVs and social media channels that will relay the prayers live.

The development comes a week after President Museveni imposed a total lockdown of the country for 42 days as a measure to control the spread of the virus.

“The strategy is to prevent these infections so that we have few infected people if at all. The situation can be managed by minimizing the number of infections and give urgent care for the severely ill,” Museveni said last week.