Kigali city residents will have to stay at home for one more week to prevent more spread of COVID-19, according to the cabinet resolutions that were published on Tuesday.
The cabinet meeting introduced its communique in bold characters, that ” to further prevent the spread of the pandemic, the cabinet extended existing measures countrywide including the current lockdown in the city of Kigali from 3rd -7th February 2021.”
Kigali city was placed into total lockdown from February 18 to February 2nd.
The cabinet further provided for the period of February 8th to February 22nd.
For Kigali specifically, movements will be prohibited between 7 PM to 4 AM, which is an improvement of one hour since, for the last two weeks, curfew was starting at 6PM.
Public offices will also remain closed, except those providing essential services, but the cabinet loosened when it comes to private offices which will open, with respect of a rotation of 30% staff at the office.
For markets and malls, they were allowed to open “for essential vendors” with all businesses closing at 5PM. With essential vendors only allowed, apparently, the cabinet means that essential products and services will be allowed in the markets. The markets will work on their half capacity(50% alternation). It has been such an arrangement for a couple of months now.
All schools in Kigali, be it public and private from nursery through tertiary education(universities) will remain closed.
Another ban that has caused concern will also remain and that’s the movement between Kigali and other provinces and districts. The movements are prohibited until February 22nd.
Essential services have only been allowed, including transport of goods and tourism. Tourists will be required to present a COVID-19 negative test.
In Kigali, the taxi parks will reopen effective February 8th, with buses allowed to carry half their capacity.
Motos and bicycles will also be allowed to carry passengers, always in respect with COVID-19 measures.
All gatherings, physical meetings, recreational activities, gyms will also remain closed while swimming pools will only be open for hotel residents upon presentation of the COVID-19 negative test.
Individual sports will also be allowed between 5AM and 9AM.
Moreover, restaurants will only be allowed to provide take away services, while bars will remain closed as it has been through the whole year.
Churches will also remain closed.
The Kigali International airport will remain open with arriving passengers presenting a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours while departing passengers will be required to take a PCR test before departure.
Arriving passengers will have to self-quarantine for one week.
Attendance to the wake of night vigil-Ikiriyo will strictly allow 10 people at a time, while funeral services will allow 15 people.
For other parts of the country, apparently, the difference with Kigali, is that schools will remain open and transport will continue as it has been. But, transport between districts is not allowed.
