The Ministry of Health is targeting to test 106,000 Kigali residents in the next two days as part of a mass testing exercise to determine the prevalence of the pandemic.

The testing, which will be rolled out at cell level for two days on Saturday, July 17 and July 18, is the biggest since the outbreak of Covid-19 in Rwanda in March last year.

At least 15 per cent of the adult population in Kigali will be tested, approximately 106,000 residents. 

Sampled households have already been informed by local leaders and health workers.

Minister of State in the Health Ministry, Dr. Tharcisse Mpunga, appealed to the sampled population to comply and report for testing.

"We have already reached out and informed the selected households for testing and sorted movement clearance for them.”

According to Mpunga, everyone above 18 years in the selected household will be tested, and they will receive their results while they are still at the testing centre.

"Cell leaders will determine appropriate testing sites which have the capacity to host the targeted population in their respective cells,” he said.

According to Mpunga, the intention behind mass testing is to determine the current situation of covid cases in Kigali and facilitate those in Home Based Care as well as have clear statistics of most infected areas that they may extend the testing target.

The effectiveness of the lockdown will be evaluated based on the findings from tests which will be conducted.

"A special follow up team will be allocated to those who will have tested positive.

"And at the end of the lockdown, we will also carry out another mass testing to determine its impact.”