Truck driver who tested positive of Covid-19 at Malaba intercepted in Northern Uganda
A truck driver who tested positive of the deadly Coronavirus on Tuesday has been intercepted on route to South Sudan.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health announced that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases had risen to 55 after a Ugandan truck driver had tested positive.
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“The new case is a 38-year old Ugandan male truck driver of Tororo district, who arrived from Kenya on Monday, April, 12, 2020. He was tested at Malaba border point of entry and was tested as part of our routine test for driver .He didn’t have signs and symptoms consistent with Covid-19,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
The president had earlier said that truck drivers would be tested on arrival at the border points but would be allowed to continue with their journeys and that they would be tracked later to give them results.
On Wednesday, security and surveillance teams tracked and intercepted the driver at Kamdini in Northern Uganda.
“The previously confirmed case, a Ugandan male, truck driver who arrived from Kenya was tracked by security and surveillance teams and intercepted at Kamdini. He is being evacuated to Entebbe Hospital for treatment. Surveillance teams are currently tracing his contacts,”Dr. Henry Mwebesa, the Director General of Health Services said on Wednesday evening.
Dr.Mwebesa noted that a total 1032 samples had been tested on Wednesday, 551 of whom were truck drivers at border points, whereas 481 samples were from individuals under quarantine but none was positive.
President Museveni on Tuesday announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown by three more weeks as government continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country.
He said there are still a number of danger points that would see the virus spread in the country including the porous border points with nearby countries that allow people sneak into the country, cargo trucks drivers and their crews, aircraft crew, UN workers who were allowed to continue operating and health workers treating people with Covid-19.
“Let us keep quiet. If there is something, it will come up and if not, we will move on but at least we will have tried. I would like to appeal to Ugandans to follow the guidelines,” Museveni said.
