Cases of coronavirus patients have reached 86 in the East African Community region, paralysing business and halting travels among the bloc’s nationals. Four partner states including Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have reported COVID-19. So far Rwanda has recorded 40 coronavirus cases. Rwanda confirmed its first coronavirus case on Saturday on 14th March, an Indian citizen who arrived from Mumbai, India, on March 8, 2020. Kenya has recorded 25 Covid-19 cases, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said on Tuesday. Uganda had recorded nine COVID-19 Cases by March 23, having confirmed its first case on March 21 while Tanzania has so far recorded 12 cases. Burundi and South Sudan have not reported any case of the coronavirus pandemic so far. Following the increasing number of cases, the East African Community Secretariat announced that it will deploy mobile laboratories and Coronavirus test kits to all EAC member states. Each member state is set to receive a four wheel drive vehicle fitted with laboratory and ICT equipment, as well as all the necessary consumables for a fully functional laboratory with the capacity to conduct tests for Ebola and the coronavirus in addition to other pathogens. According to the secretariat, some EAC member states have implemented strategies to address the outbreak at national level. Among the strategies implemented include the suspension of all face to face meetings, closure of all schools and tertiary training institutions, closure of air space and borders as well as implementation of quarantine on arrival for travellers from high risk countries due to the outbreak.
