A third-year student of Makerere University Business School (Mubs) who was isolated in the bush for fear of transmitting coronavirus disease to his family members resorted to burning charcoal to keep warm and active.
Shunned like a leper, Simon Odeke has so far spent 16 days isolated in the bush in Kakero village, Bukedea district since returning from school earlier this month. Odeke says while he was still at campus, many of his friends tested positive for Covid-19 including five members out of 15 in his discussion group.
"When some of my colleagues including myself got infected, I traveled back home where I could not mix up with my family members and I ended up isolated in the bush using the tamarind tree as my home," said Odeke.
Odeke explains that the lack of health and isolation facilities in his sub county denied him access to clinical treatment hence he resorted to cutting logs in the forest and burning charcoal as part of his exercise routine as he battled the virus.
"That thing [Covid-19] scared most of us, we said we cannot mix with the majority, we need to isolate ourselves, so far now I have finished two weeks [and] some two days under this tree since I came from Kampala. I decided to isolate myself as a person who loves the lives of people because I wanted to 'rescue' the whole community...I chose one person, my sister, I put a table somewhere she places the food there then after she has gone, I come and pick the food," he said.
His father, Stephen Odeke, says he could not allow Simon to mix with other family members but now that he has tested negative, he's free to return home. Stephen Ikodet, the district health officer for Bukedea confirmed that tested Odeke's samples returned negative results.
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