DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The East African Community (EAC) member states on Tuesday rolled out a Regional Electronic Cargo and Driver Tracking System (RECDTS) aimed at monitoring long distance trucker's crew and enabling contact tracing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement issued by the EAC secretariat at its headquarters in the safari capital Arusha said the system was launched at Malaba on the Uganda-Kenya border and at Mirama Hills on the Rwanda-Uganda border.
"The tracking system provides a surveillance system to monitor long distance trucker's crew and enable COVID-19 contact tracing," said the statement.
The statement said RECDTS allowed EAC member states of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan to electronically share truck drivers' COVID-19 test results, reducing the need for multiple COVID-19 tests in a single trip.
"RECDTS is expected to support health related protocols and facilitate safe trade in the region," said Christophe Bazivamo, the EAC deputy secretary general in charge of Productive and Social Sector.
"The reliance on manual certificates and delayed test results at the borders has been the main reasons for long delays at border points," he said. Enditem
