Museveni directs Coronavirus positive truck drivers not to be allowed into country

President Museveni has directed that only truck drivers who test negative of the deadly coronavirus will be allowed into the country.

"The president has directed that only truck  drivers with negative test results will be allowed into Uganda,” the Minister for Information, Judith Nabakooba said.

She however noted that the directive that started operating immediately will have exception of drivers who are tested at the Elegu border points from South Sudan who will be treated by Uganda.

“This is meant to allow the South Sudan government to build capacity to carry out its own tests. These new measures will restore confidence among Ugandans in the fight against Covid-19,” Nbakooba added.

The Minister for Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng also tweeted confirming the same adding that the ministry has since met with representative of the Truck Owners and National Logistics Platform and resolved to mobilise, counsel and test all truck drivers employed in Uganda.

“They agreed to adopted and will implement a Truck Driver Journey Management System which is a mobile application for all truck drivers to be monitored as they proceed with the journey,”Aceng said in a tweet.

Background

This issue has continued to be a cause for worry for Ugandans in the fight against the virus as the country continues to register many cases involving cargo drivers from neighbouring countries.

Currently, of the 227 confirmed Coronavirus cases in Uganda, 167(74%) are truck drivers including  71 Kenyans,  46 Ugandans, 37 Tanzanians, 7 Eritreans, three Burundians one South Sudanese and one with an unknown nationality.

Many Ugandans who have been under lockdown for almost two months to ask government to lock out the drivers who they say have become the latest carriers of the virus into the country.

However, President Museveni on all occasions insisted that cargo drivers will never be stopped from entering the country.

He noted that if they are stopped, there is no way the country will survive because the trucks carry some of the essential goods used.

Regional leaders meet

On Tuesday, East African presidents including Museveni, Paul Kagame(Rwanda), Uhuru Kenyatta(Kenya) and Salva Kiir from South Sudan held a video conference meeting in which the issue of truck drivers was extensively discussed.

 “The heads of state decided that partner states adopt a harmonised system for certification and sharing of covid-19 test results,” the joint communiqué signed by the four presidents read in part.

“The heads of state directed the focal persons to immediately work on a regional mechanism for testing and certification of truck drivers prior to their departure at the point of origin and every two weeks report to the heads of state.”

According to the joint communiqué, the leaders agreed that each country tests truck drivers before leaving its territory and be given certificates that will be shown at the border.

Uganda scales up capacity

Following the meeting, Uganda scaled up its capacity by launching the use of GeneXpert machines at border points that enable truck drivers to be tested and receive their Covid-19 results in less than an hour’s time before they proceed.

On Friday, the Ministry of Health commissioned the Port Health laboratory at Mutukula border that will see all truck drivers from Tanzania tested and results given within 45 minutes.

This means, it will no longer need officials to take samples to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe which was time consuming but can be done at the border and the results ascertained in less than an hour.

If Museveni’s directive is to go by, truck drivers who have been confirmed positive will no longer be allowed into the country and will be a sigh of relief to both government and Ugandans who have been worried over the issue.

Uganda’s Coronavirus cases now stand at 227 whereas the recoveries are at 63.