DAR ES SALAAM, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The East African Community (EAC) secretariat on Friday held the first simulation exercise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to strengthen preparedness and bolster response to future public health emergencies in member states.

       A statement issued by the EAC headquarters in Tanzania's northern city of Arusha said the exercise is part of a one-week regional training workshop to strengthen national capacities for exercise operations at ports of entry.

       The statement said the exercise was conducted at the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania to test the knowledge and skills acquired by the participants during the training workshop.

       The aim of the exercise is to link early warning with preparedness and response, said the statement.

       In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, in recent years, the EAC has experienced numerous outbreaks of infectious diseases and other events of public health concern, such as droughts and floods, said the statement.

       The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic reinforced the need to enhance public health emergency capacities at ports of entry, according to the statement.

       EAC member countries are Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.