Rwanda’s Cabinet on Wednesday called on the public to limit unnecessary movements including visits to friends and family as the number of COVID-19 infections in Rwanda is approaching 2,000.
The call was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, where it also reaffirmed the need for increased vigilance in implementing COVID-19 preventative measures.
While the central African nation had announced the reopening of airports for commercial flights from Aug. 1, the Cabinet decided to keep land borders closed, except for goods and cargo as well as returning Rwandan citizens and legal residents until the measures against COVID-19 are reviewed again after 15 days upon a health assessment, a statement on Cabinet decisions made at the meeting showed.
The Cabinet also maintained a curfew imposed since May 4, preventing people from going out from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time.
On Thursday, the Rwandan Health Ministry reported 37 new cases and 31 recoveries, bringing the total number of infections and recoveries to 1,963 and 1,036 respectively.
Rwanda is seeing new coronavirus cases because of free movement of people across the country, but the outbreak is under control, Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare Tharcisse Mpunga told Xinhua last week.
Currently, parts of Rwanda have been put back under lockdown after the government partially lifted a six-week nationwide lockdown on May 4.
