The Council of Ministers held on Monday 15 March decided to postpone the start of the curfew to 21 hours and to allow the resumption of travel between Kigali and the rest of the country.
One of the main measures taken by the Council of Ministers is the change of the curfew time from 8pm to 9pm and the resumption of travel between Kigali and the four provinces. Inter-district movements were also authorized except for Gisagara, Bugesera and Nyanza which remain confined. These three districts of the Southern Province touch on Rwanda’s neighbour Burundi.
The private sector is an important beneficiary of the decisions taken because in addition to the above, businesses are closing from Tuesday 16 March by 8pm instead of 6pm as previously. Cafés and restaurants will reopen and physical meetings will be allowed without exceeding 30% of the capacity. This will allow the hotel industry, which is in a poor financial state, to record some revenue.
However, the same council of ministers asks the population to continue to respect the barrier measures, including wearing masks, washing hands and social distancing. Violators will be sanctioned. Generally, a fine of 10,000 frws is imposed on the undisciplined.
The ongoing vaccination campaign will significantly reduce the number of deaths and seriously ill patients.
The resumption of free movement of the population throughout most of the country is a positive consequence of the improved health crisis situation in the country. According to the Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Dr Sabin Nsanzimana, at this rate, covid-19 could be defeated by the end of the year.
Gérard Rugambwa
