Rwandan government on Tuesday re-imposed a lockdown in the capital city of Kigali due to a recent spike in the number of coronavirus cases and related deaths, reported Africa News.
The majority of the new cases in recent days were registered in Kigali with health officials attributing it to complacency in observance of virus control measures. Rwanda imposed one of Africa’s first total shutdowns in March 2020 and has maintained an evening curfew since then by changing the times as the outbreak fluctuated.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s cabinet announced the lockdown after a meeting. The lockdown prohibits unnecessary movements in the capital except for essential services such as medical, grocery shopping, and banking among others. The measures also include the closure of businesses and working from home. Places of worship and learning institutions will also remain shut.
A communique released by the cabinet mentioned a recent “unprecedented rise in cases, deaths and transmission rates in the community.” It urged Rwandans to raise vigilance in observing health guidelines in order to slow the spread of the virus. The people have been asked to significantly reduce social interactions and limit movements only to essential activities.
Traveling between Kigali and other places has been banned, and public transport in the city has been suspended.
According to the communique, the country’s aviation hub Kigali International Airport will continue to remain open with arriving travelers required to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 120 hours prior to departure. Tourism activities have been permitted to continue in strict adherence with COVID-19 health guidelines.
The majority of the new cases in recent days were registered in Kigali with health officials attributing it to complacency in observance of virus control measures.
Rwanda has so far seen 11,259 cases and almost 150 related deaths since the start of the outbreak.
