Uganda spring break trip rescheduled

By Kathy Thomson

For several years, various residents of the Big Country area have traveled to Uganda over spring break on a Christian mission trip, and Albany High School junior Tana Thompson planned to go again this year.

All of that changed when Thomas Aly, former youth minister at Abany’s First Baptist Church and founder of Live Missions, cancelled the trip due to concerns about COVID-19.

Unlike many places in the world, as of press time on Tuesday, Uganda had not reported any cases of the virus in their country. However, the Live Mission group had planned to fly through Amsterdam, which does have cases of the novel respiratory illness.

Anyone entering Uganda from an infected country (which includes arrivals from the United States and from the Netherlands) who is running a fever would be quarantined for 14 days. And depending upon the level of infection in the country they come from, Uganda reserves the right to send arrivals back home immediately, even if they are not showing signs of illness. 

U.S. Embassy staff members who recently returned to Uganda from Germany were required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

Uganda has also implemented strict regulations on any large group gatherings.

Rather than risk flying halfway around the world and then being denied access to the people they wished to reach with the love of Jesus, the trip has been rescheduled.

“We cancelled the trip due to fears about the cornonavirus,” said Ary. “We were able to get a refund from the airlines. We can’t transfer tickets, but we have rescheduled the trip for July 20-29.”

According to Ary, Live Missions currently has openings for the July trip.

“If someone wants to go, contact us,” he said. 

Aly can be reached by phone at 325-200-2869 or by email at thomasaly@livemissions.org.

Traveling to Namayumba, which is a settlement in the Wakiso District in the Buganda Region of Uganda and is over 8,500 miles away from Albany, takes about a day and half each way.

Information about the Uganda trip is available at livemissions.org.