Clampdown on cross border trade

Uganda is clamping down on informal cross border trade with Tanzania and the unregulated movement of people between the countries to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. People living in the Rakai District of Uganda and Missenyi in Tanzania tend to ignore border regulations because relatives live on both sides. BBC News reports that cross border trade and travel is centred on the town of Mutukula, but people also use unregulated roads, which makes the movement of goods and people between both countries hard to monitor. About 20 people have tested positive for Covid-19 on the Uganda side after returning from Tanzania. The Ugandan authorities have subsequently banned cross border travel, unless it is for business. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, it has also banned flights from Kenya, after the government in Nairobi deemed measures taken by its neighbour to cope with the pandemic were insufficient.