About 230 staff from 12 One Stop Border Posts across the East African Community bloc have been trained on Covid-19 preparedness and response.
This batch was subjected to a training of trainers' course and will scale up the measures by teaching further colleagues. Â The training started in October 2020 and ended on Sunday, 13 December 2020 at the Gasenyi border post in Burundi.
The training was convened by the EAC Secretariat and implemented by AMREF Flying Doctors to ensure that the busy border posts can effectively prevent the spread of Covid-19 and detect and respond to infected passengers.
'We offered the training to facilitate safe cross border movements and at the same time to protect border staff as the Partner States in the EAC region had started to ease measures that were established to prevent and respond to the Covid-19 global pandemic', said Christophe Bazivamo, EAC-DSG.
'The training provided an opportunity for the trainees to identify weaknesses for targeted action. It is not limited to the current pandemic but will also contribute to preventing the cross-border spread of other infectious diseases of public health concern,' Bazivamo added.
The trainees learned from the application of the One Health approach that includes various sectors and professions in disease management. Consequently, participants came from customs, immigration, port health and animal health, bureau of standards, national drug and revenue authorities, security, cargo and baggage, clearing and forwarding, transporting, border intelligence and police as well as from (joint) border management committees and county commissions. With clearing agents and cross-border traders the communities were also included in the training.
'The scope of the training focused on operations at the OSBP with close contact to travelers and their luggage including traded goods,' explains Anthony Kihara of AMREF Flying Doctors.
'The training of trainers' approach allows for upscaling of the measure and takes the high staff turn-over rates at border posts into account.'
Participants in the training familiarised themselves with existing regulations and guidelines, like the Public Health Act, the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization and Border Post Public Health Emergency Preparedness.
Modes of transmission, handling of suspicious clients including isolation, quarantine and basic life support as well as health care communication were taught in practical sessions.
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