Rusizi river between DRC and Rwanda in Western Rwanda. The community in this area is being affected by COVID-19
Rusizi district in the Western Province and Rusumo, Kirehe district of the Eastern Province bordering with Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and Tanzania respectively have remained the most affected by COVID-19 as the rest of the country is contemplating a return to normalcy.
The Ministry of Health conducted 2110 tests on Wednesday and amongst them, 13 COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed, all emanating from Rusizi and Rusumo.
Initially, Rusumo started becoming a concern since May due to figures of cross border truck drivers who were crossing from neighboring countries which did not take severe decisions as early as first cases were confirmed.
River Akagera between Rwanda and Tanzania. For more than one month, cases are being recorded in Rusumo
There are ten days since Rusizi also became a new concern; after five cases that were identified in the district bordering with DRC on May 31, numbers kept increasing in the region, which forced the government to put the region back into total lockdown.
With the two regions still being affected, the total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has increased to 476.
307 cases recovered including 7 on Wednesday, while active cases increased to 167.
With numbers shifting to Rusizi and Rusumo, the Ministry of Health Indicated that a big part of front line workers have been relocated to the two regions, with a COVID-19 centre in Gihundwe-Rusizi and Rusumo of Kirehe district respectively.
This facilitates case management.
So far, two deaths were registered in Rwanda since March 14 when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed. They include a 65-year cross border truck driver and a 24-year-old policewoman who contracted the virus while on a peacekeeping mission in Malakal, South Sudan.
The head of the UNPolice Peacekeeping mission in Malakal sent her condolences to Rwanda and the parents of the policewoman, Police Constable Mbabazi Enid.
