Gen Kyanda says truck drivers are essential partners in the Covid-19 fight

The Chief of Staff Land Forces, Maj Gen Leopold Kyanda, has urged the public to recognize the vital role being played by long-distance truck drivers in the COVID-19 fight.

He said the drivers sacrifice a lot by not staying with their families or interacting with the public for weeks or even months just to ensure a constant supply and export of goods and services despite the risks of infection.

Kyanda said drivers are exposed to especially that they handle multiple documents that go through many other hands.

"Truck drivers are a very important part of this struggle. They ensure essential goods find us at our doorsteps no matter the situation and risks they undergo.

We should therefore also play our part in ensuring their safety and ensuring the parking yard proprietors make the parking places habitable,” Maj Gen Kyanda said.

He made the remarks at Kisajja international gazetted public parking yard at Nakalama in Iganga district while leading a team of 21 members of the Inter-Agency Task Force to inspect seclusion areas set by the government for long-distance truck drivers in the Eastern route.

The inspection checklist for the seclusion areas includes access to food, water, electricity, health facility, toilets, phone network, ample space, ease of access to the main road, hard ground, administrative area, laundry services, and fire plan among other essentials.

Other considerations are the security and safety of the trucks and drivers, fence, and distance away from the population.

Kyanda said that the seclusion areas inspected so far have most of the set standards and the managers of the facilities that fall short have been advised on what to do.

He noted that some proprietors have started putting up other services for the truck drivers at the seclusion areas such as paperless money service, and accommodation.

He however cautioned that only very essential workers should be given access to the seclusion areas and the proprietors should guard against creating crowds at the centers in the name of offering services.

The team urged truck drivers to encourage their colleagues who are still adamant about using the facilities to start doing so.