Uganda on Saturday issued new stringent measures to cross-border cargo truck drivers, saying only those who test negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to enter the country.
The ministry of health in a statement said that following the presidential directive, only truck drivers with negative test results for the virus will be allowed into the country. The directive takes immediate effect, according to the ministry.
The statement said that truck owners and the national logistics platform have agreed to mobilize, counsel and test all truck drivers employed in Uganda.
They also agreed to implement “Truck Driver Journey Management System”, a mobile application for all truck drivers to be monitored as they proceed with their journey.
The new measures came as the number of cross-border truck drivers who have tested positive for the virus stands at 167 out of the 227 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country.
Previously Uganda allowed truck drivers to proceed with their journey after their samples had been taken. When the results turned positive, the truck driver was followed up.
The new development comes at a time when the Uganda government Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) announced it has received 15,000 COVID-19 test kits for the cobas 8800, a real time PCR machine that has the capacity of running 3,000 tests per day and about 192 tests per hour.
Testing for COVID-19 at CPHL starts on Sunday according to the ministry.
Out of the 227 confirmed COVID-19 cases, at least 63 have recovered and no deaths registered, according to the ministry.