This archive report was first published on 19 June 2020.
On June 19, 2020, the movement of trucks between Tanzania and Uganda at the Mutukula border resumed after the two countries reached a consensus on measures to implement while mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Mr. William Mkenda, Customs Officer in Charge at Mutukula border (Tanzania), truck drivers will now have to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing in line with East African Community guidelines to tackle trans-border spread of the disease while minimising disruptions to cross border trade.
Mr. Mkenda briefed a delegation from the EAC Secretariat led by the Deputy Secretary General in charge of Planning and Infrastructure, Eng. Steven Mlote, which delegation was on an assessment mission to the Mutukula border.
Eng. Mlote told the truck drivers that Ministers and Permanent Secretaries responsible for Trade, Health and EAC Affairs have held meetings and issued guidelines on how the truck drivers should be facilitated on their cross border operations as Partner States enforce measures to fight Covid-19.
“Parameters have been set, places, where the testing should take place and modalities of how it should be carried out, has been agreed upon by the Partner States’ governments. It is only implementation that is varying from one country to another,” Eng. Mlote said.
