My name is Eva, an Air Traffic Management Officer at Entebbe International airport. I reside in a village Mpala a few kilometers southwest of the capital Kampala and the pandemic has had a significant effect on me and the aviation sector.

First, it was a story all over international media, local tabloids, and social media. It at first sounded like a joke to Ugandans with a belief that they were immune to the virus but as time went on and the country recorded its first case, I ran into panic mode… Life had to shift towards wearing a mask to social distancing, washing hands more often than ever before, avoiding touching my face (hardest job in life), and much more.

I have had lots of time to myself to think about life and how to grow intellectually; this is a good time to refocus my personal goals, evaluate them, reading to better myself, and enhancing my financial management capabilities. I am teaching self to live within a certain financial boundary now that my movements are limited, I am learning some new skills at home and I have had a great time growing spiritually.

On the negative side; there has been a loss of revenue as all international passenger flights are now on hold. Only cargo and relief aircraft are operational at the airport. The work morale drops greatly as the traffic is really low. This will also have a huge dent in the proficiency of staff.

I have a phobia for use of public transport but more specifically air transport as this brings to mind that coronavirus may linger for a while. I am also worried that some staff may be laid off if the airline business remains low for more than a year.

Social interaction is also affected since for the time being you can’t closely associate with friends and/or family. Businesses are also in losses due to this pandemic thus a decline in GDP and negatively affecting the economy.