Rwanda bans domestic travel after December spike in Covid-19 deaths

The Rwandan government has banned public and private transport between districts and its capital, Kigali, due to the high Covid-19 cases registered last month.

The county has registered over 100 new infections, with half the total of deaths occurring in the month of December only.

The health officials claimed that the rate of infections had reached alarming levels.

The resolution was made after a cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente on Monday, January 4.

“Given the recent rise in Covid-19 cases, with half of the total deaths occurring in December, Cabinet tightened existing health measures in order to contain the spread of the virus,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office read in part.

According to the statement, domestic and international tourists can still travel across the country but must carry proof of negative Covid-19 test results.

“Travel will only be permitted for medical reasons and essential services… Vehicles transporting goods will continue to function with no more than two people on board,” reads part of the statement. 

In the new measures announced on Monday night, the government will maintain the current curfew hours from 8:00pm through 4:00am and public and private institutions will operate with only 30 per cent of their capacity.

Traders and business people were also authorized to close at 18:00 local time and social gatherings and events prohibited.

According to statics from the Woldometer, Rwanda has recorded 8,848 cases and a total of 105 deaths since March when the first case was reported.

The country has a total of 1,927 active cases as of January 5.