Ever since Uganda confirmed the 55th Coronavirus case, more than a week go, the next 19 infections in the country have been truck drivers carrying cargo from Kenya and Tanzania that have crossed over to Uganda through the border points at Malaba, Busia, and Mutukula.
The Ministry of Health and President Museveni’s directives seem to have worked as the curve of infections had been flattened by the stay home measures. Currently, the Ministry of Health is getting overwhelmed by the curve going up once more, all because of the truck drivers coming through.
This puzzle is yet to be fixed. President Museveni through his addresses has repeatedly said that cargo needs to keep moving in and out of the country to keep the essential parts of the economy running amid the lockdown.
Yesterday, the Minister of Internal Affairs Gen. Jeje Odongo said that they are looking at the possibility of introducing relay truck driving where drivers handover the trucks at the border, the Ministry of Health disinfects them, and then they are driven by Ugandan drivers to their destination in an effort not to import the infections.
When asked what is the cost of allowing truck drivers to cross over or letting them wait for their test results before crossing into the country, the Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Dr Dian Atwine said, “We are exploring the possibility of taking there (at the borders) the lab so that we obtain the results quickly.”
On April 18, 2020 while giving her update on the COVID-19 situation in the country, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said that two mobile PCR laboratories were procured and would be deployed at the congested border points to quicken testing and return of results.