Relief as test results for truck drivers reduced to 12 hours

Long distance truck drivers collecting cargo at the Mai Mahiu Inland Container Deport (ICD) will now get their Covid-19 test results within 12 hours.

Nakuru County Government reduced the testing time from three days to 12 hours after residents raised fears that the depot could turn out to be the epicenter of the disease as has happened at the Busia border point.

Naivasha sub-county Public Health Officer George Ndichu made the remarks when he recieved water tanks, soaps and sanitizers donated by Stanbic Bank and Rotary group of Naivasha to the department. The items would be used at the newly opened ICD and other centres.

Ndichu said the new testing laboratory in Mai Mahiu town was fully equipped and serving around 45 drivers a day.

“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 and the county was currently issuing free of charge attestation forms to the tested drivers.

At the same time, the superintendent in charge of Naivasha sub-county hospital Dr Angeline Ithondeka has revealed that due to the Covid-19 health regulations of hand washing, non-communicable diseases had dropped significantly.