Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has suspended “primate tourism and research in all the protected areas until April 30, 2020” to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
The development comes after Uganda closed the airport and its borders as part of the measures rolled out to halt the spread of the virus.
UWA Executive Director Sam Mwandha said in a statement on Wednesday morning that “filming of primates has been suspended until April 30, 2020” and that “trackers will be provided with necessary PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to avoid passing on any possible infection to primates.”
Nine cases of Coronavirus have so far been confirmed in Uganda in the last one week.
The virus is a big blow to Uganda’s tourism sector which contributes more than 7.7% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Tourism is Uganda’s major export earner, which scooped USD 1.6bn from travelers visiting various tourism products all over the country in 2018.
