The Kigali City Market, located at the heart of Kigali will re-open Thursday, September 3, 2020, following a thorough inspection by a coronavirus taskforce.

The market was shutdown for two weeks after recording multiple cases of Covid-19.

A delegation from Nyarugenge District, the City of Kigali and the Police inspected the market on Wednesday to verify that the recommended safety measures were in place, and upon completion of the exercise, the delegation gave the green light to re-open. 

The Nyabugogo market also known as Kwa Mutangana, which was closed at the same time as the City Market, will remain closed following the spike in Covid-19 infections. It is yet to be fully under control.

The always busy City Market that is usually busy has been a deserted place the last couple of weeks, with police officers protecting the areas.

The New Times visited the market yesterday and found newly installed four handwashing sinks at one of the entrances.

The inspectors, however, urged management of the market to install automatic water taps and soap dispensers to limit surface contact.

In front of all the market’s twelve entrances are floor guidelines to ensure the one-meter physical distancing recommended by health experts.

Among the changes is designating one-way entry and exit gates.

Inside, in the foods section, some market stalls have been closed to ensure the distance between the traders. There are also yellow lines traced on the floor indicating the distance the client must keep from the seller.

The Nyarugenge District Executive Administrator Emmy Ngabonziza who led the delegation commended the changes and improvements made so far.

 "We asked them to extend different signs in proportion to the number of clients.

There are some in place, but they are not enough,” Ngabonziza said.

The inspection team also required the market management to have an updated list of all the shops as well as the names and contacts of their attendants to ease tracing should the need arise.

"We have alerted them that in case of any non-compliance or failure to implement any of the recommendations we have given them, the specific traders or shops cannot be reopened,” Ngabonziza noted.

With all preventive measures respected, the official assured that clients will be safe when visiting the market.

The market has the capacity to host 3,200 traders, according to the management. Now, the number has been slashed to about 1,100 people.

In the underground section, the number was brought down to 70 from 242 traders.

"We’ve made a lot of changes, especially in the vegetable section,” said Edwin Musinga, Managing Director. "We’ve given most attention to social distancing and handwashing facilities. And that was one of the strongest recommendations by the inspectors.”

An estimated 7,000 people enter the city market daily.