This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On May 12, 2020, the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government convened a virtual meeting, chaired by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, to address the pressing issues of cross-border trade and the spread of Covid-19.
The meeting, which included Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda), and Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan), aimed to prioritize measures ensuring uninterrupted cross-border movement of goods while battling the pandemic.
The leaders acknowledged the challenge posed by cross-border trade in the fight against Coronavirus, particularly the emergence of truck drivers as a high-risk carrier population.
President Uhuru Kenyatta emphasized the need for collective EAC interventions against the global Covid-19 pandemic, stating, "A unified stand is what we need to combat this pandemic in the region."
He added that contact tracing had helped Kenya to isolate and treat those infected by the virus, saying, "We continue to actively enforce contact tracing which has proved to be very effective in identifying those who have come into contact with infected persons."
The Heads of State expressed satisfaction with measures taken so far by regional governments in managing Covid-19 and thanked the EAC Secretariat and the Council of Ministers for ensuring the region minimizes cross-border spread of the virus while maintaining uninterrupted movement of goods.
