Uganda’s schools reopen, ending world’s longest lockdown

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda’s schools reopened their gates to students on Monday, ending the longest school disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic anywhere in the world. There’s traffic congestion in some areas of the capital, Kampala, and students can be seen carrying their mattresses in the streets, a back-to-school phenomenon not witnessed here for nearly two years. The East African country first shut down its schools in March 2020, shortly after the first coronavirus case was confirmed on the African continent. Some classes were reopened to students in February 2021, but a total lockdown was imposed again in June as the country faced its first major surge.