In a bid to consolidate the gains in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus disease, President Yoweri Museveni wants truck drivers from outside countries to stay at border points while their Ugandan counterparts take over and vice versa.
This means, for example, that a Kenyan truck driver will stay at Busia as his truck is disinfected and driven by his counterpart on the Ugandan side.
In case the truck is destined for another country such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ugandan driver stays at the border and a DR Congo driver takes over.
The President made the remarks while flagging off vehicles that have been donated to the national task force against COVID-19.
Mr Museveni said that the owners of the trucks should be able to manage this arrangement since they have employees (truck drivers) across the areas they deliver cargo.
However, this arrangement will be decided by a meeting by East African Health Ministers who were in a meeting at the time the president made his remarks at Kololo ceremonial grounds on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the president said that he now targets 1,350 vehicles in this drive to put up a fleet that will be used by the ministry of health in managing emergencies even after COVID-19.
The minister of state for health in charge of general duties Robinah Nabbanja said that the new districts and regional referral hospitals have been considered to benefit first.