53 Truck Drivers Denied Entry Into Kenya After Testing Positive For Coronavirus

Kenya denied 53 truck drivers entry into Kenya after they tested positive for the coronavirus.

Addressing reporters at Afya House on Monday, Health CAS Rashid Aman said they were 51 Tanzanians and 2 Burundians.

“They were denied entry after testing positive at the border entry points,” Dr Aman said.

Further, the CAS noted that Tanzania posed a serious threat to Kenya. He reiterated that positive cases of COVID-19 will not be allowed into the country.

“Kenya has put in place to contain importation of the disease and now it’s from the land. That is why we have tightened measures at the borders. We have a threat from the Tanzania side.

“The results we are seeing is that there is a level of threat from Tanzania and it is our duty to continue testing and isolating them,” he added.

Dr Aman also told journos that the East African Community (EAC) is in talks on how to best contain the spread of the virus.

But he stated that every country choses how to respond to the pandemic.

“There are high-level discussions within EAC member states on how to contain the virus.

“Every country chooses how they will respond to this pandemic. A country has a choice to break a cycle by putting in place measures that will break this cycle,” Dr Aman said.

This comes a day after Tanzania closed its border with Kenya, shortly after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta stopped movement into and out of Kenya through the Tanzania and Somalia borders.

Tanzania Minister for Health Ummy Mwalimu said that only goods belonging to Tanzanians will be allowed in, though they will be loaded into another truck on the Tanzanian side at the border.

“All trucks with goods owned by a Tanzanian, and need to enter Tanzania, or they belong to someone else but the order was made by a Tanzanian, find another truck to take the goods to the final destination. Vehicles from any other countries will not be allowed,” said the Minister.

So far, Tanzania has 509 confirmed cases, but has not provided updates for over one week now.

Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli has also refused to attend all regional meetings held by regional head of states.

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