Govt Clears The Air On The Of Testing Truck Drivers

Govt Clears Air On Testing Truck Drivers

Posted by: Kyeyune Andrew Jonathan in Uganda news January 7, 2022

The Government of Uganda has agreed to clear all truck drivers and their accompanying staff that show proof of PCR testing.

It went further and said the test should not be older than 72 hours and should be from a recognizable laboratory within the East African region.

A January 6, 2022 letter indicates that the measures were decided on in an inter-ministerial meeting. The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja chaired the meeting that took place on Thursday afternoon.

The development comes on the heels of an impasse over Covid-19 testing by truck drivers at border entry points.

Drivers from the East African region have parked their vehicles at Malaga border, stretching a long distance. They are protesting Covid-19 testing fees and repeated tests.

They claim Uganda is the only country that is charging for the service at a fee of $30, (shs 106,000).

The directives from the government were communicated to all district health officers of the border districts of Tororo, Busia, Rakai, Kabale, and Kasese. This happened as an interim measure to clear the backlog of cargo trucks accumulated on the borders.

Authorities insisted that the tests should be done from an attached list of approved laboratories in the region. They added that further guidance would be provided as it evolves.

William Busuulwa, one of the leaders of the long cargo drivers, said the government did not clarify on the major issue of testing charges.

He said drivers from Kenya and EAC rejected another Covid-19 test at the border. They demanded a 14-days period before they ask them to do another test.

The drivers say Kenya tests them upon leaving Mombasa for free and that they will not accept another test before the expiry of 14 days.

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