Covid-19: Museveni Says EAC Presidents Considering Testing Truck Drivers from Respective Countries
By Fred Kiva
President, Yoweri Museveni says leaders of the East African Community partner states are in talks to have truck drivers tested for covid-19 from their respective countries before setting off for their journeys.
Speaking at the second national prayer on Covid-19, held at State House, Entebbe on Saturday President Museveni said, “We are in talks with His Excellency Kenyatta, His Excellency Salva Kiir, His Excellency Kagame and His Excellency Magufuli. We shall have a common position for these drivers to be tested where they are coming from-before they come.”
"Instead of testing them at the border, we want them to be tested from where they are coming from by the health teams, they will not only be Kenyans but by joint teams of the four countries- the health teams of South Sudan, Congo (DRC), Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya together,” the president added.
Following increased cases of coronavirus among truck drivers of recent, Ugandan authorities have since resolved to have them tested for the virus at border points before entering the country, as well as having the truck drivers park at only gazetted areas, where they can be tracked in transit in case results from their samples taken at the border turn out positive.
Meanwhile, the president told members of the inter-religious council of Uganda, the Vice President Edward Ssekandi, Cabinet Ministers and some members of the business community, who attended the second national prayer on Covid-19, that the regional leaders want to have the drivers tested from their set off points in their respective countries, not at the border.
On calls to have the trucks stopped, President Yoweri Museveni reiterated that this would be suicidal. “Ugandans were saying ‘stop these truck drivers’ but the Bible says ‘be as wise as a serpent,’ you must be wise, because if you stop the trucks, how shall we survive?” the president asked.
Currently Uganda’s confirmed total covid-19 cases stand at 114, following confirmation of 13 more cases, all from truck drivers on Friday. Statistics from Ministry of Health indicate that 54 of the total covid-19 cases are truck drivers, 26 of them Kenyans, 17 Tanzanians and eight Ugandans. Burundi, Rwanda and Eritrea, each has one of the sick truck drivers.
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