Uganda cuts official coronavirus tally in half

21st May 2020 | Source: BBC

The health minister says the country now has 145 cases

Uganda's health minister has revised downwards the country's total number of coronavirus cases following President Yoweri Museveni's directive to expunge all foreign drivers from the tally.

By Wednesday, the country had confirmed 260 cases, according to the World Health Organization, but the minister says the number is now 145.

Jane Aceng said the count of all infected foreign lorry drivers would be added to their respective countries.

She tweeted:

Today, 20 May, 2020, 10 new COVID-19 cases confirmed. 9 new cases are truck drivers while 1 case is a contact case.

Following a Presidential Directive of deducting all foreign truck drivers from Uganda’s total confirmed case count, the confirmed COVID-19 cases now stand at 145.

The health ministry said it had handed over 124 infected foreign drivers to their respective countries, but did not disclose their nationalities.