Traditional marriage is now permitted from 1 June 2021. However, measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus must be respected.
The Council of Ministers held at Urugwiro Village on 31 May 2021 authorized the resumption of traditional marriage ceremonies. These are the proposal of a girl in marriage, the giving of the dowry and the reception that accompanies such moments.
Participants should not exceed 30 people in a family. Elsewhere, such as in hotels, entertainment venues and open gardens, guests should not exceed 30% of the venue capacity. But they will have to take a covid-19 test beforehand.
So far, only 350,400 people have been vaccinated against covid-19. Vaccination coverage remains very low.
The Council of Ministers called on the general population to maintain compliance with existing measures to protect against covid-19. “Citizens are reminded that it is essential to respect health measures, including physical distance, wearing masks and hand hygiene. Penalties will be applied in case of non-compliance,” according to the communiqué of the Council of Ministers signed by the Prime Minister, Dr Edouard Ngirente.
In the country, the curfew is maintained from 10pm to 4am, except for the district of Karongi. Travel is prohibited from 7pm.
However, the 7pm curfew is lifted for the six southern districts of Huye, Nyanza, Ruhango, Gisagara, Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru. They can continue their business until 9pm as elsewhere in the country.
These measures could be reviewed after one month.
Gérard Rugambwa
