Uganda turns away 103 Covid-19 positive truck drivers
Trucks wait in a line on the road to enter Uganda at Malaba in western Kenya on April 29. While addressing the nation on Monday, President Museveni said the new measures put in place had started yielding positive results because the positive cases are denied entry into the country. AFP PHOTO
Uganda has turned back at least 103 foreign drivers who have tested positive for Covid-19 after President Museveni issued a directive banning truck drivers who test positive for the disease from entering the country.
Mr Museveni made the directive to the Ministry of Health and security forces last week.
On Monday, 32 truck drivers who tested positive for Covid-19 were turned away. This was in addition to 35 cases had been turned away on Sunday.
Turned back
Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health services in the Ministry of Health, yesterday said 36 foreign truck drivers, including 17 Tanzanians, 15 Kenyans, three Eritreans and one Burundian who tested positive for Covid-19, were turned away.
While addressing the nation on Monday, President Museveni said the new measures put in place had started yielding positive results because the positive cases are denied entry into the country.
“The new policy will not allow the drivers to enter [Uganda]. As already seen, 14 Tanzanians, 16 Kenyans, one Rwandan, one Burundian, and three Eritrean drivers were turned back yesterday at the different border points.
However, 21 were Ugandans who were taken to different hospitals,” President Museveni said.
Meanwhile, a tweet from the Ministry of Health confirming new positive cases in the country yesterday said:
“Results from samples tested on May 18 confirmed 12 new Covid-19 cases confirmed from 1,743 samples of truck drivers. All new cases are Ugandans. Total confirmed Covid-19 cases: 260. 32 foreign truck drivers tested positive and were turned back to their respective countries.”
