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Covid-19: EAC to discuss joint plan on truck drivers
Testing. Truck drivers wait in line in order to be tested for Covid-19 at Uganda’s immigration checkpoint in Malaba on April 29. AFP PHOTO
Ministers from the East African Community (EAC) member states will again meet today via video conferencing to assess the implementation of the regional Covid-19 guidelines which were formulated in March.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the East African Affairs, Ms Edith Mwanje, told Daily Monitor that the ministers of Health, EAC affairs and Trade will discuss the “hotspots” of Covid-19 in the region.
“The follow-up meeting for the ministers will be tomorrow to assess the progress of the implementation of the earlier guidelines and look at hotspots like truck drivers,” she said.
The truck drivers from Kenya and Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and DR Congo are increasing the risk of spreading the disease in the region.
In every 10 infected people, four are truck drivers from Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda has 100 cases.
The Senior Presidential Press Secretary, Mr Don Wanyama, said the EAC Heads of State Summit is planned for Tuesday next week.
“Truckers are the critical issue now. Hopefully EAC ministers summit tomorrow [today] and the Heads of State next Tuesday fully fixes this,” he tweeted.
In March, the health ministers from the EAC issued 11 guidelines to help in the fight of the disease but the infections have continued to increase.
The truck drivers were required to stop at only designated points along the transport corridors.
“In the event that the crew are quarantined while in transit, truck owners / operators make necessary arrangements to backup crew to ensure that good are delivered to the intended destination,” the statement said after the ministers meeting on March 25.
All EAC member states were also directed to establish a surveillance system to monitor trace those who are infected.
Meanwhile, President Museveni yesterday advised the general public to always put on masks while they are out.
“People seem not to understand the value of the masks; these are not a decoration! We don’t want you to be seen with the mask hanging around your neck. Put the mask over your mouth and nose all the time as long as you are in public.
Even when you are speaking, leave the mask on because if you remove and speak, you are infecting the air and also the hands you are fidgeting with while removing the mask can bring the infection,” he said.
