A cabinet meeting chaired by President Kagame lifted some Covid-19 restrictions.
A cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on March 4 lifted several Covid-19 restrictions, including lifting the existing curfew of midnight to 4am, except for bars and concerts which have to close at 2am.
Rwanda also announced it will reopen land borders on March 7-two years since they were closed on March 12, 2020, following the new Coronavirus outbreak. The decision means that borders with Uganda and Burundi are now open.
The move to ease Covid-19 preventive measures came as the government announced that Rwanda is closing in on having 70 percent of the targeted population fully vaccinated. However, vaccination requirements remain in place for people to access key services.
“Citizens and Rwanda residents must be fully vaccinated in order to access public places. Fully vaccinated means having two doses and a booster shot when eligible (administered months after the second dose),” the statement said, adding that people attending any event must present a negative Covld-19 test result taken within 48 hours prior to meeting.
“Land borders shall re-open starting Monday March 7th, 2022. People may be subject to random Covid-19 testing by the Ministry of Health upon entry,”
“Curfew is lifted. However, night clubs, live bands, bars, receptions, and betting activities shall close by 2:00 AM,” reads the new measures, which will be reviewed in a month’s time.
Under the new measures, private businesses and public offices will get back to operating at full capacity but business owners must ensure employees are fully vaccinated.
“The Ministry of Health may temporarily close public or private premises with identified clusters or people infected with Covid-19.”
Public transport will continue with buses operating at full capacity with seated passengers and 75% of non-seated passengers. Widows must be open for proper ventilation while bus operators must ensure all passengers are vaccinated. Penalties will be applied for non-compliance. Other means of transport have all been cleared but must adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures.
Social gatherings back to full capacity
The cabinet also okayed physical conferences and meetings to continue at full venue capacity, same as social gatherings such as weddings, funerals and other social celebrations. However, attendees must present a Covid-19 test.
Similarly, services held at places of worship shall continue to operate at full venue capacity while restaurants and bars shall continue to operate at full venue capacity but clients must be fully vaccinated. Bars however will be closing at 2am.
In another major change, all sports activities are permitted and sport fans will be allowed in stadiums but must be fully vaccinated.
Gyms and fitness centres will continue to operate at full venue capacity but swimming pools, massage parlours, saunas, shall continue to open gradually.
Rwanda has so far vaccinated 8,836,101 people, of whom 7,877,864 have got two doses while over 1.8 million people have received the booster shot.
