Commuting In A Pandemic: These Health Workers Are Trekking And Canoeing
Hellen Anek used to get to work by hopping on a boda boda, the motorcycle taxis ubiquitous throughout Uganda. Now she must walk two hours each way to and from her job as a hospital nurse in central Uganda's Masaka district.
Across Uganda, health care workers like Anek are taking extraordinary measures to get to work, commuting by foot, bicycle and in at least one case by canoe. On March 30, President Yoweri Museveni announced a nationwide shutdown aimed at preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus. The president's plan also banned road traffic, including most private vehicles as well as the public minibuses, boda bodas and three-wheeled tuk-tuks most residents rely on for transportation.
Uganda's health care sector is considered — but on the heels of the announcement, many in its workforce suddenly found itself without a way to and from work. The government began allowing selected vehicles on the
