There is extensive literature on forest management institutional responses as a function of socio-economic and political factors, albeit limited evidence on responses triggered by health shocks. To bridge this gap, this paper analyses forest management institutional response approaches around the Busitema Forest Reserve in Uganda, using the COVID-19 pandemic as a case. Household surveys (n = 135), focus group discussions (n = 4) and key informant interviews (n = 8) provided the relevant data. The results indicate that compliance with formal and informal institutions increased during the pandemic; this was attributed to fear and uncertainty about the mode of spread of the COVID-19 virus, which was flagged by mainstream media as a zoonotic disease. Formal institutional enforcement agents, therefore, used the pandemic to forward their agenda and reinforce rules that aim to exclude local people from resource appropriation in this reserve. The response was further manifested through the transposition of existing institutions to new functions, changes in rule application and the introduction of new rules. These responses paved the way for formal institutions to tighten their control of forest resource use by allying with informal institutions. The study provides complementary evidence on institutional change with an emphasis on COVID-19 as a health-related trigger.