Uganda suspends primate trekking and filming activities in National Parks.
As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Uganda has suspended primate trekking and filming activities in national parks. This decision was made to curb the spread of the virus, as tourism contributes an estimated USD1.6Bn to the Ugandan economy, second only in importance to agriculture. The tourism industry also generates millions of jobs, from tour guides to lodge operators and park rangers.
A coronavirus known as COVID-19 with an unknown origin sprang out in the Chinese city of Wuhan and quickly spread around the world, eventually becoming a pandemic. Taking a heavy toll; as of today, an estimated 721,902 persons have tested positive for the virus, and more than 33,970 have lost their lives as a result. Up to this point, the virus has not had a treatment.
With 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the country’s history of viral outbreaks, Uganda is far from a virgin territory. The country announced its first instances of victims a few weeks ago. Because of this, the nation is now on lockdown; first, the airport was closed to prevent the virus from spreading via arriving passengers; then, all borders were closed; and finally, after the virus manifested in the country, public transportation was also shut down. It is not feasible to do business due to the fire ban, which forbids the use of vehicles carrying more than three passengers.
Please note that any planned tourist and filmmaking trips to Uganda in the near future should be rescheduled at a later date when the situation improves, since the government has also banned all primate tracking and tourism activities. A lot of people are canceling their visits because of this, which is bad for the economy of the nation.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority issued a decree on March 25, 2020, that halted all tourism-related operations in the nation. “Until April 30th, all tourism and filming activities involving primates and other wildlife are to be put on hold,” said UWA director Sam Mwandha. We don’t know the virus’s origin or the potential consequences of primate infection, therefore this command was issued to halt the activity until we do.
All protected regions and national parks would be off-limits to tourists and researchers until April 30, 2020, according to the announcement.
Productions scheduled to take place between now and April 30, 2020, will have to postpone until the issue is under control, since filming of primates is now on hold.
To ensure that the primates are not infected, trackers will be given the appropriate personal protective equipment.
No commercial vehicles allowed in national parks.
An internal COVID-19 task force has been established to collaborate closely with the national task force in order to keep the aforementioned in line with the ever-changing rules for dealing with COVID-19-related concerns.
Additionally, they loosened restrictions on when gorilla and chimpanzee licenses may be changed. Up to March 22, 2022, tour providers may reschedule gorilla and chimpanzee licenses no more than twice. This deal is still available to anybody who managed to get 30% of the permits. In order to prevent any potential cancellations, this was done to give tour operators some leeway.
Since tourism accounts for an enormous 7.7 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, its recent slump has had a devastating effect on the economy, leading to layoffs, reduced staffing levels in hotels, and the closure of tour operators.
There are 88 gorilla permits available daily for 800 USD, thus the Uganda Wildlife Authority is going to miss out on a significant source of income for the duration of the primate and tourist lockdown. Additionally, there has been a halt to filming on this.
How can we proceed?
For those who have already planned trips to Uganda, the best course of action is to delay departure rather than cancel. The Uganda Wildlife Authority has extended the deadline for rescheduling permits by at least two years, until 2022, in case the virus outbreak continues beyond the expected containment in the coming months.
We advise you to begin enquiring about future trips while discounts are still available. While it is true that traveling is not secure at the moment, you can be certain that the situation will normalize. Once this happens, there will be a huge demand for travel. Amazing bundle deals are available when you shop now.
For the greatest and most reasonably priced safari alternatives on all of your travels, come to Katland Safaris, the premier safari business in the world. Safaris may be booked all the way up to 2022, so if you have any specific trip requests, feel free to submit them. You may find evaluations of our safari service on Safari Bookings and TripAdvisor, two sites used by our esteemed clientele.
