This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
East African Community Leaders Unite Against COVID-19 ¶
On May 13, 2020, the East African Community (EAC) heads of state met virtually to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the region.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, the meeting chair, emphasized the importance of implementing measures to ensure uninterrupted cross-border movement of goods, including border screening and testing for truck drivers.
The leaders agreed to intensify contact tracing efforts to isolate and treat those infected by the virus, while also acknowledging the challenge posed by truck drivers as a high-risk carrier population.
Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and Salva Kiir of South Sudan attended the meeting, with President Kenyatta calling for a collective intervention strategy to fight the pandemic.
There was consensus among the heads of state that the measures taken so far in managing COVID-19 were satisfactory, and member states vowed to prioritize local production of essential supplies, invest more in agricultural production, agro-processing, and value addition.
