Random Covid-19 testing returned on the streets of Kigali on Thursday as the Ministry of Health looks to generate latest data concerning the prevalence of the virus in the city.

According to a statement by the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), the fresh campaign will reach all the districts of the city starting Thursday, August 20, and it is meant to assist the medics to understand the prevalence of the pandemic in the City.

This will be the second time such exercise is being conducted.

Earlier, at the beginning of July, the government carried out a similar campaign within various parts of the city, during which almost 5,000 people were tested.

The campaign targets randomly selected populations mostly from the streets. It is voluntarily done.

The testing exercise for an individual may take about five minutes on average, and the results can be obtained in about 48 hours.

All tests are free of charge. However, (if payments were considered) a test could cost about $50.

The RBC called upon the city residents to cooperate with the medics during the campaign.

"Request is kindly made to all City of Kigali residents, drivers and pedestrians, to cooperate with (our) staff and security officers deployed on testing sites for successful completion of this important activity,” a statement by RBC reads.

Recently, there has been an upsurge in Covid-19 in the city of Kigali, accounting for the largest portion of the record cases the country has registered since around last week.

In the last six days, Rwanda registered a record high 444 cases, and of these, a staggering 356 were from Kigali. 

Many cases confirmed in the city were detected in confirmed high-risk zones including the Nyabugogo market and (which has been recently closed) alongside Kigali City Market.

Like Nyabugogo Market, commonly known as Kwa Mutangana, the city market has also been closed for a week as government seeks to control the sudden spike in new infections in Kigali.

According to latest figures released by RBC on Wednesday, August 19, the confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the country is at 2,644. Of these, 1,698 have recovered, while en people have succumbed to the pandemic.