Twenty-three cases are truck drivers who entered the country using different points of entry while eight cases are from contacts of truck drivers
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has risen to 253 after 31 people tested positive for the disease on Tuesday. These were from 1,116 samples that were tested.
Twenty-three cases are truck drivers who entered the country using different points of entry while eight cases are from people who had contact with truck drivers in different communities.
Reports from the health ministry show that the eight cases were under quarantine at the time tests were carried out, as such presenting no risk to any members of the community.
Uganda also sent back 20 other foreign truck drivers bringing the number of returned drivers to over 300. 16 of the drivers were Tanzanians while four of them were Kenyans.
The drivers were handed over as part of Uganda’s new policy that makes it mandatory for all truck drivers to undergo testing. Only negative foreign drivers are allowed into the country. Positive Ugandan and South Sudan cases are the exception.
According to the health ministry, treating foreign drivers would have been a risky move for the country. Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health recently in an interview said treating foreign drivers could have overwhelmed the health system and increased chances of the disease spreading to communities where truck drivers were based.
To date, 69 people have been treated for COVID-19 in the country. 184 people are still undergoing treatment at different treatment facilities in the country.
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