Uganda government will not accept any truck driver without a ‘negative Coronavirus certificate’ to enter the country.
While Ugandan medical services have been treating COVID-19 cases after being detected, the new instructions provide that such patients must be ordered to return to their respective countries.
Regional leaders recently mooted the idea of a joint medical team from partner states to carry out tests of all truck drivers before embarking on their journeys.
The decisive action comes just a day after the Ministry of Health confirmed 43 new COVID-19 cases in Uganda, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 203.
This was the highest number of COVID-19 cases to be recorded in a single day in the country, alarming the nation.
This website on Saturday morning learnt that the directive has since been passed on to Uganda’s Health Ministry officials, immigration and security officers for implementation.
Contacted for comment, Defence Spokesperson Brigadier Richard Karemire said it’s a reasonable option but urged the media to wait for an official statement which we understand will be issued later today.
“While the results have shocked our people this morning, it confirms what we have in the last many days been saying that we are not yet out of danger.”
“That there is no vaccine yet, and so we must religiously abide by all measures put in place by government and there shouldn’t be any room for anyone to relax,” he added.
While Ugandan authorities have literally kept Coronavirus at bay due to mass testing and a lockdown, regional countries including Tanzania continue to take the pandemic lightly.
Public gatherings are allowed in Tanzania which has led to mass infections.
This has undermined regional efforts to combat the novel virus.
Visiting Mutukula town which borders Tanzania on Friday, Ugandan Health Minister Ruth Aceng described the area as a danger zone.
Currently, Uganda has 203 COVID-19 confirmed cases, 63 recoveries and no fatalities.
On Friday, the Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng and the Minister of State for Health in charge of general duties Robinah Nabbanja commissioned the first port health laboratory in Uganda.
It’s a gene expert laboratory with two machines and capacity to run 64 samples per hour.
Brigadier Karemire said, “The threat is real and our lives are at great risk. Working together as Ugandans and as a region, we can defeat the Pandemic.”
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