COVID -19 cases in Uganda have now hit 248 after the Ministry of Health announced 21 new infections on Monday morning.
Ministry of Health says the 21 cases are all Ugandan truck drivers,17 of new cases were identified at the Elegu border post while 3 were from Mutukula and one from Malaba entry point.
The results were out of 1071 samples of truck drivers tested on Sunday.
Also taken were 253 community samples that all returned free of COVID -19.
Dr. Henry Mwebesa the Director-General Service reiterated what the Ministry of health had tweeted earlier today about the delay in the release of COVID-19 on Sunday.
Ministry of health indicated that test samples were being sorted in regard to the president’s directive to only allow in Negative truck drivers and also evacuate Ugandan truck drivers who test positive directly to designated hospitals.
The tweet reads;” This is to inform the public that MOH did not release results yesterday. Following the Presidential directive of only allowing truck drivers who test negative, samples had to be sorted appropriately. Ugandan truck drivers who test positive will be evacuated directly to hospitals.
Mwebasa says samples had to be divided between UVRI and UNHLS1 for a quick turn around time as testing at NHLS started at 7.30 pm last evening.
President Yoweri Museveni is expected to speak to the nation on Monday, May 18th, 2020 at 8 pm in a live televised address.
As the 14-day lockdown extension ends on Tuesday, big on the agenda will be whether the lockdown will be lifted or not but also the issue of truck drivers.
The president on Saturday 16th May 2020 ordered that only truck drivers that test Negative will be allowed into the country.
The president is currently in a cabinet meeting for discussions on way forward as he gets set to speak this evening.
Uganda so far has 63 recoveries and no deaths.
