Five Kenyan drivers are among the 11 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) confirmed in Uganda in the latest update.
Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health services at the Ministry of Health, said three drivers arrived via Malaba Border Post while two arrived via Busia Border Post.
The other six patients are Tanzanian truck drivers who entered the country via Mutukula Border post.
Dr Mwebesa said all the new cases were from 1,020 samples tested from truck drivers at border points of entry. All the 11 drivers were asymptomatic.
Some other 311 samples that were taken from the community and quarantine centres tested negative.
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A total of 1331 samples were tested on Thursday, Dr Mwebesa said.
This now brings the total of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Uganda to 74. The country has not reported any fatalities.
As of Thursday, April 23, Kenya had reported 320 cases and 14 deaths with Nairobi and Mombasa Counties recording the highest number of cases.
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The recent ban on the movement of people in and out of Nairobi and the coastal region exempts cargo trucks that supply foodstuff and other commodities between Uganda and Kenya.
Early this month, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared a cessation of movement in and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties for 21 days as part of the measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 after the Ministry of Health declared the areas as COVID-19 hotspots.
The President indicated that all truck drivers would be screened at various points of entry but the latest development shows just how the operation of trucks poses a threat to the fight against the contagious disease if further measures are not put in place.
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