The Rwandan Government has re-introduced tough lockdown measures in its capital Kigali following a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
The government has also placed a ban on movement into and out of the city, with the exception of essential services and for tourists, it said, citing a rise in the positivity rate, which is the number of cases found in a given sample of test. “All employees, public and private, shall work from home, except for those providing essential services,” the government said in a statement.
With 11,259 positive cases of coronavirus and 146 coronavirus related deaths, Rwanda said the number of tests returning positive results for Covid-19 has tripled to 7.7% from 2.6% at the beginning of the month.
Several African countries have been battling a with a second wave of the novel coronavirus, with infections rising to at least 3.3 million and 79,500 deaths so far, with South Africa topping the chart of African countries with the largest number of positive cases reported.
Of every 100 infections reported around the world, about 5 are from African nations, up from 3.4 in October.
Businesses in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, will shut down, except for those dealing with essential services like food, medicine and fuel, the government said.
Citizens are also urged to significantly reduce social interactions and limit movements.
Several activities have been canceled in Rwanda due to the surge in the cases. Notable among such activities is the 2021 Tour of Rwanda which has been postponed until May. The race was due to take place from February 21-28 but has now been rescheduled for May 2-9.
The president of Rwandan Cycling Federation president Abdallah Murenzi said in a statement on Friday, that the event had been postponed “in view of the current global situation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many uncertainties that do not allow us to envisage the organization of the Tour of Rwanda in the best conditions.”