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The government has issued strict guidelines for truckers that will make Covid-19 testing and self-quarantine mandatory during their trips while crossing territories under lockdown.
The guidelines were published when the Health Ministry announced 23 more cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases to 672, with the highest number of recoveries at 32.
All truckers, hereafter, are supposed to stay in designated hotels and guesthouses, and not any other facility of choice.
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Test centers have also been set up in specific cities to test the drivers for the new coronavirus.
The Director of Public Health, Francis Kuria, pointed out the risk factor associated with truckers, who according to him required the protocols.
“It is very likely that a trucker from Mombasa could transmit the disease to our neighbors,” said Dr. Kuria.
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He said that all truckers must now be tested at least 48 hours before the trip begins. The previous 48 hours are due to the 24 hour window when the results should come out.
Once tested, the results are sent to the Ministry of Health, which prints a certificate showing that one is a free Covid-19 and they are allowed to start their journey.
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Kuria said that even if a driver has a Covid-19 certificate, health officials will still take a sample for retesting.
“A Covid-10 certificate does not mean that you have not been infected along the way. So, on the way, it can still be stopped and tested, and once we get the results, we will have to stop it again, ”he said.
To this end, the Government has established and selected up to 14 test facilities along the main highways used by truckers.
These are found in Mombasa (Miritini), Nairobi (South B), Kisumu (Ahero Sub-County Hospital), Migori County Hospital, Eldoret, Nakuru and Naivasha Provincial Hospital, Kilifi Medical and Training College, Machakos, Marsabit , Kwale sub-county hospital, Kinango and Msambweni.
“We will continue to establish more centers as we go so that all truckers are screened before starting their journey or on the road, as not all long-distance cargo trucks leave Mombasa. Some start their journey from Kisumu, ”said Kuria.
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To avoid the risk of the trucker passing the disease on to others, or becoming infected and then passing it on, the government has established designated stops along the corridors, with selected hotels already contracted.
These are found in Busia, Gilgil, Taveta, Namanga, Mlolongo, Malaba and Webuye. The last city has a stopover but not a contracted hotel, which means that there is no sleeping at this time.
Designated stops
“You will not use any other facility,” said Kuria. “Other than the stops mentioned, there will be no other stop.”
For the verification of the Covid-19 certificate, the truckers will be detained in Lunga Lunga, Taveta, Namanga, Busia, Moyale and Isebania.
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“All certificates will be verified for validity, otherwise they will be directed to the nearest facility,” Kuria said.
It is unclear how many truckers are infected with the virus, according to chief administrative health secretary Rashid Aman.
However, Uganda has spoken out about the cases of Kenyan truckers that have tested positive, even admitting that they have been repatriated to the country, a claim that Dr. Aman was unable to confirm.
“In the spirit of the East African Community, if you test positive, you have to be isolated at that point where you tested positive. Sending those people is not in the spirit of EAC, “he said.
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Covid-19 Ministry of Healthlockdown Coronavirus
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