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Source: http://venturesafrica.com/covid-19-r...shuts-borders/
COVID-19: Rwanda, Tanzania agree on truck drivers as Kenya shuts borders
East African neighbors Rwanda and Tanzania have reached an agreement that puts an end to the impasse between long-distance truck drivers and authorities at the border, one of the many fallouts across the region triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.
To curb the spread of the virus through long-haul truck drivers moving goods across the region, after reporting a surge in new cases traced to drivers, Kigali employed mandatory tests of truckers at its borders – mainly at the Rusumo border with Tanzania.
It also mandated a relay system – similar to Uganda’s proposition to Kenya – that would see Tanzanian drivers hand over their trucks to Rwanda’s, an idea the former rejected. An ensuing strike left more than 1,000 trucks destined for Rwanda stuck at a Tanzanian border town.
Delegations from both countries in a virtual bilateral meeting have now agreed to remove the proposed swapping of drivers at Rusumo border “with immediate effect,” Rwanda said at the weekend. Under the deal, goods entering Kigali will be “offloaded or transhipped at entry point, except for trucks carrying perishable goods and petroleum products.”
Truck drivers will also have to undergo mandatory testing at the starting point and facilitated by Tanzania, to prevent further spread of COVID-19, in line with East African Community guidelines to tackle the trans-border spread of the disease while minimizing disruptions to regional trade. The new measures also apply to truck drivers from Kenya, who have also suspended transporting cargo to Rwanda...
COVID-19: Rwanda, Tanzania agree on truck drivers as Kenya shuts borders
East African neighbors Rwanda and Tanzania have reached an agreement that puts an end to the impasse between long-distance truck drivers and authorities at the border, one of the many fallouts across the region triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.
To curb the spread of the virus through long-haul truck drivers moving goods across the region, after reporting a surge in new cases traced to drivers, Kigali employed mandatory tests of truckers at its borders – mainly at the Rusumo border with Tanzania.
It also mandated a relay system – similar to Uganda’s proposition to Kenya – that would see Tanzanian drivers hand over their trucks to Rwanda’s, an idea the former rejected. An ensuing strike left more than 1,000 trucks destined for Rwanda stuck at a Tanzanian border town.
Delegations from both countries in a virtual bilateral meeting have now agreed to remove the proposed swapping of drivers at Rusumo border “with immediate effect,” Rwanda said at the weekend. Under the deal, goods entering Kigali will be “offloaded or transhipped at entry point, except for trucks carrying perishable goods and petroleum products.”
Truck drivers will also have to undergo mandatory testing at the starting point and facilitated by Tanzania, to prevent further spread of COVID-19, in line with East African Community guidelines to tackle the trans-border spread of the disease while minimizing disruptions to regional trade. The new measures also apply to truck drivers from Kenya, who have also suspended transporting cargo to Rwanda...