Covid-19: Testing of truckers reduced to 12 hours

Truck drivers in Naivasha will no longer endure the long wait to be tested for Covid-19.

This is after the testing period was reduced from three days to 12 hours at the new Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Mahiu has now been reduced from three days to 12 hours.

The move to reduced congestion at the station was in response to concerns from Nakuru County government and area residents that the depot could turn out to be the epicentre of the disease as has happened at the Busia border point.

According to Naivasha sub-county public health officer George Ndichu, the new testing laboratory in Mai Mahiu town was fully equipped and serving around 45 drivers every day.

Ndichu made the remarks when he received donations from Stanbic Bank and Rotary group of Naivasha.

“We have now reduced the turnaround time for the tests from three days to 12 hours so to address the issue of congestion and overstay in the town,” he said.

He added that they had cleared the backlog of drivers at the ICD adding that they were currently issuing free of charge attestation forms to the tested drivers.

The superintendent in charge of Naivasha sub-county hospital Dr Angeline Ithondeka said that due to hand washing, non-communicable diseases had dropped by over 20 per cent.

While donating the tanks, the President of Rotary in Naivasha Billy Mungai termed Mai Mahiu as a hotspot for the disease after the opening of the container depot.

He said that with drivers coming from all parts of the region, there was need to improve sanitation, hand washing and mass testing.

“We thank donors for their support as some of these tanks will go to Mai Mahiu and Rotary is keen to address the issue of water and sanitation and disease eradication,” he said.