By FREDERIC MUSISI | Daily Monitor

At least three Ugandans succumbed to the virus last week; two in New York, and one in New Jersey, according to diplomatic sources. The deceased have been identified as Maria Giita, Edward Ssengendo Mugerwa, and a one Mugerwa, a resident of New Jersey.

Meanwhile, More than a dozen Ugandans are stranded in various cities in the US as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 10,500 people, by press time, nearly half of them in New York City alone.

Ugandan diplomats in New York told Daily Monitor that amid the ongoing crisis over the pandemic, which has since led to suspension of international travel, it is unlikely the bodies will be repatriated back home.

Arrangements have since been made for Ms Giita to be interred in New York this week, attended by only close family members and a church service organised online.

While there are no cases of Ugandans stranded around the New York area, the Ugandan embassy in Washington DC has reported various cases, including groups of Watoto Choir children, one in the South Central state of Texas, and another holed up in Brazil in South America.

There is another group of five children, and one adult currently under care of one charity, World Help, based in Virginia. These, according to multiple accounts, had laid over in Addis Ababa en route to Entebbe when government shut down the airport to passenger planes; after two days in Addis Ababa, they traveled back to Washington as the only option.

Read from source Daily Monitor