The district of Bugesera, straddling the City of Kigali and neighbouring Burundi, has no Covid-19 patients at the moment. In the Nyamata sector, preventive measures are being respected. Outside the city, God is watching to preserve the health of the population.
At the entrance of the Nyamata hospital, one must wash one’s hands and have one’s temperature taken. Patients wait under the shade of a tent before being received at the reception desk. There is a four-room isolation ward away from the patients’ wards. For the moment, all these rooms are empty.
“We have already tested 2,500 people but no positive cases have been found,” says Dr. Cyrille Ntahompagaze, representing the medical staff at Nyamata Hospital. “Two isolation centres are planned, one at Nyamata Hospital and another at the Mayange Health Centre, both of which are empty. No suspects,” said Dr. Ntahompagaze.
In Nyamata, the district capital, the wearing of masks is generally respected. At the entrance of shops and especially the district office, people can wash their hands to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Outside Nyamata, God is watching…
The farther you go from Nyamata, the more you see a laxity in covid-19 prevention. In the Gashora sector, people know how to protect themselves. Masks are sold on the spot. Two qualities are available on the local market. The first costs 500 Rwandan francs and the second 300 Rwandan francs. However, some people wear masks when they see a foreigner in the area. “We fear the authorities, you never know, …” says an inhabitant of Gashora.
Potable water is also a challenge to fight effectively against the coronavirus. “I am not responsible for this water problem. We have two water supply projects,” said Mayor Richard Mutabazi.
In the Rweru sector, Nemba cell, Rutete village, water for people and livestock, however, is not a problem. People are holding hands. Some have masks and others do not. “Masks can be bought far from here,” explains Mediator Mukamukama, a mother selling some survival products.
“Here we shake hands without any problem and wash ourselves for body hygiene,” says a woman selling drinking water. She is informed that the covid-19 pandemic is within our walls, but she has a very vague idea about how to prevent it. “I heard this on the radio,” she said. “Why do we need to wash our hands often during this health crisis? “The journalist insists. “Well, it’s for hygiene,” says the woman, who seems to have a good standard of living compared to other people in this village of Rweru.
Mayor Richard Mutabazi and doctor Cyrille Ntahompagaze are not afraid of contamination from neighbouring countries.
“At the border of Nemba, there is a post working 24 hours a day. Whenever anyone from Burundi enters, they are immediately taken to isolation and covid-19 tests are carried out,” said Dr. Ntahompagaze.
Mayor Mutabazi also points out that the border between the Bugesera district and Burundi is not as porous as it is thought. “Those who try to enter by water are repulsed by the navy; on the ground, they are ambushed,” he said.
If there are no positive cases so far, it is not absolutely out of respect for the measures in place. God is watching. And the security authorities…
Gérard Rugambwa
