KAMPALA – The Ethiopian Airlines cargo flight carrying the Jack Ma sponsored consignment of Coronavirus testing kits has on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, landed at Entebbe International Airport.
As part of the Jack Ma and Alibaba Group support to the fight against COVID?19, Uganda received: 100,000 masks, 20,089 test kits, 741 PPEs, and 1,111 face shields.
The COVID—19 outbreak continues to spread rapidly across the continents of the world claiming thousands of lives and huge resources. In just about three months it has caused over 12,000 deaths worldwide and impacted socio-economic activities, particularly tourism and transport.
The shipment included over 1.5 million laboratory diagnostic test kits and over 100 tons of infection prevention and control commodities.
Ethiopian Airlines is helping distribute the equipment, consisting of 20,000 laboratory diagnostic test kits, 100,000 medical masks, and 1000 protective suits and face shields, to each of the Member States as part of their contribution to the fight against COVID—19 in Africa.
Uganda on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, confirmed eight more cases of Coronavirus, raising the total to nine.
Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng said all the 8 cases are Ugandan nationals who travelled back from Dubai, UAE; 2 on the 20/03/2020 and 6 on the 22/03/2020 aboard the Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines flights.
She said they have all been isolated as all the persons who came into contact with them are being traced.