Uganda's president Yowreri Museveni has introduced sweeping new anti-coronavirus measures including a ban on all vehicular movement except for essential workers to help curb a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic gripping the nation, Reuters reports.

"The country has seen a more aggressive and sustained growth of the Covid-19 pandemic," Museveni said in a televised address

He said the daily number of people testing positive has jumped to over 1,700 from less than 100 just three weeks ago. "We are experiencing very high hospitalisation rates and deaths for Covid-19 patients among all age categories."

In new measures to curb the pandemic, he has banned movement of both public and private vehicles except those transporting patients and those used by essential workers like health workers. The new restrictions, Museveni said, will last 42 days.