On 22 March, Uganda confirmed its first case of Covid-19. So far 55 cases have been found in the country. To contain the spread of the virus, President Yoweri Museveni ordered the closure of schools and all places allowing for public gatherings, including bars, non-food markets and shopping malls. Public transport and use of vehicles have also been banned and a night-time curfew put in place. The social distancing rule, initially the usual 1,5 meters, has now become 4 meters for those with symptoms, which in settlements and refugee camps is nearly impossible to follow.
These measures have severely impacted the refugees and host communities in the country, particularly in cities like Arua, where services and infrastructure are already stretched due to a major influx of refugees in recent years. According to the UN Refugee Agency close to 1,5 million refugees live in Uganda, more than 60% come from South Sudan and 29% from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Nearly 187,000 of them live currently in Arua district, while they are 80,000 in the capital, Kampala.