Uganda’s confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection have escalated to 114 after 13 truck drivers tested positive, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.
The 13 cases were drawn from 2,421 samples collected from truck drivers at different entry points.
“Out of the 13 new cases,7 are Kenyans, 4 are Ugandans while 2 are Tanzanians,” the Ministry said on Saturday morning adding that “tracking them has commenced and the public will be informed accordingly”
All 740 community samples tested negative for COVID-19, the ministry noted, indicating that a total of 3,161 samples tested Friday May 8 2020.
Last month, the health ministry announced plans to deploy mobile testing vans at busy border posts.
The drivers will be tested as they enter the country and will be mandated to wait for their results before they proceed with their deliveries and, according to Kagirita, positive cases would then be stopped from crossing into Uganda.
Following the increased Covid-19 cases among truck drivers, the trade and transport national taskforce sub-committee resolved that drivers park in only gazetted places where they can be tracked while in transit in case their results, from samples taken at the border of entry, return positive.
Uganda currently has 55 recoveries.
