By Agnes Kiconco

KIU, Main Campus – The Ministry of Health has announced the rise in number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 89 in Uganda after one sample tested positive on Sunday, 3rd May.

The confirmed case is a male Kenyan truck driver aged 39, who arrived via Malaba.

"Today,3 May,2020,1 new COVID-19 case confirmed out of 2,729 samples of truck drivers:39 year old Kenyan male truck driver who arrived via Malaba.Efforts to track him are underway.201 samples from community all tested Negative for COVID-19.Total COVID-19 confirmed cases:89," announced the Ministry of Health on Twitter.

Ministry of Health officials are currently trying to locate the 39-year-old.

Meanwhile,  the community case confirmed on Saturday, 2nd May from Rakai District has been evacuated to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital and his family members have been subjected to quarantine.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Health also revealed that the Kenyan and Burundian truck drivers who were also diagnosed with the virus, were returned to their respective countries.

Uganda relies on truckers to bring in essential goods from port cities in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania.

President Yoweri Museveni who is expected to address the country today, Monday, 4th May, expressed concern with the increasing number of cases of truck drivers and is expected to issue more directives to restrict the movement of the drivers in community, so as to curb the spread of the virus.