The restriction on travels between different cities and districts countrywide that was announced on Saturday, March 21, is meant to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the countryside, the Minister of Health, has said.

Dr. Daniel Ngamije was appearing on a talk show on the national Radio and Television on Sunday, March 22, to talk about measures aimed to tackle the spread of the virus.

So far, more than 307,000 people have been infected by coronavirus globally while over 13,000 people have died from it, according to Johns Hopkins University, a US-based research university that tracks COVID-19 cases.  

"These measures are stringent, and they are timely because when we look at the figures in Rwanda, we have 17 COVID-19 patients, and they had contacts with over 688 people since they reached the country. We have traced 68 per cent of them…,” he said. "We have tested them and continue to follow up on their conditions on a daily basis.”

The Minister said that most of the patients suffering from COVID-19 came from abroad and they travelled into the country in the last 15 days.

"What has been observed is that most of the patients are concentrated here in Kigali...there is likelihood that the people contacted can spread the disease to other parts of the country in case no strict measures are taken to limit movements,” he said. "This can result in many infections in a short time.”

The situation would mean that we move from a level where the pandemic seems to be at an early stage in Rwanda to an advanced stage, the minister added.

"This disease is serious. It has caused many deaths in some countries. This is an issue that should be treated with determination,” he said.  

Patients stable

The Minister said that all the 17 COVID-19 patients are receiving the necessary health attention to ensure they recover even as there’s no effective cure for the disease worldwide.

"We have a place where we receive people with basic symptoms of the disease and where we can receive those in severe condition who need special care such as oxygen inhalation support. But, until now, no patient has so far entered that stage,” he explained.

He observed that the elderly people as well as people suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma and other respiratory diseases, obesity, have a high risk of death in case they suffer from COVID-19.

Regarding COVID-19 testing, the Minister said, Rwanda’s ability to fight the virus has increased thanks to the support from partners such as Jack Ma – a Chinese billionaire – who recently donated testing kits to Rwanda.

Providing transport to health workers

Meanwhile, the Minister of Health said that health workers will be facilitated to easily access their places of work.  

Despite the lockdown, food shops and markets, pharmacies and petrol stations, among other essential service providers, continue to work.