The Minister of Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng and the Director General Dr Henry Mwebesa have rushed to Entebbe Airport to assess the mandatory testing for COVID-19 following public uproar.
While at Entebbe the Minister said they have identified and resolved and the process is now swift.
“Waiting time for results does not exceed 2 hours,” Minister Aceng told this website on Thursday.
Aceng’s immediate response was prompted by uproar from travelers who were stuck at the airport waiting for Covid-19 results.
Government last week undertook mandatory testing of all incoming passengers at Entebbe International Airport and all ports of entry to prevent a third wave of COVID-19 in Uganda.
All arriving passengers (including children above 6 years) irrespective of vaccination status or country of origin, are required to undertake a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test on arrival at the Airport.
This is in addition to the negative PCR test certificate required to have been obtained within 72 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.
However, the manner in which the testing process is being conducted has caused uproar. There are fears the chaos at the airport could scare away potential tourists. Uganda earns close to $2bn in tourism revenues annually.