Kiryandongo district RDC Peter Debele has called upon the government and partners to extend psycho-socio support to the security personnel who are enforcing government directives on prevention of the spread of COVID-19. Debele made the call during a one-day orientation of Kiryandongo district COVID-19 taskforce on psycho-socio support organized by TPO Uganda on Tuesday August 10, 2021 at the Community Technology Access center. Debele added that security officers are the most stressed by COVID-19 yet not well facilitated to enforce the guidelines set by government.

Kiryandongo district has cumulatively registered 785 COVID-19 positive cases and discharged 759 with two patients developing mental illness.

Edith Aliguma Adyeri the district chairman-Kiryandongo asked the participants to use the skills acquired to extend psycho-socio services to the people who need them. Aliguma added that she has observed tendencies of civil servants asking for long leaves as a result of stress which has affected service delivery in the district.

According to Martha Kagoye a clinical psychologist at TPO Uganda, it is very important for frontline health workers, security and other COVID-19 taskforce members to think of provider self-care while extending COVID-19 related services to the people so as to breakdown. Kagoye added that management of COVID-19 pandemic is an added responsibility to the members of the taskforce on top of their normal work schedule which is likely to stress if self-care is ignored.