The Minister of Local Government, Jean-Marie Vianney Gatabazi has urged the public against non-compliance to measures to fight against the pandemic as Rwanda eases Covid-19 restrictions.

The measures were on Wednesday eased by pushing back curfew time to midnight from 10pm, while social gatherings were also allowed to resume but with restrictions. 

"We want to remind those providing different services across all fields that they have requirements to follow along with allocated operation time, things were eased but the most important thing is to adhere to the preventive measures,” he said.

Gatabazi was speaking at a post-cabinet briefing about new guidelines together with the Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare, Dr. Tharcisse Mpunga.

The revised Covid-19 guidelines which are applicable nationwide require businesses to cease operations at 11 pm to allow for people to get home before curfew time.

It also indicates that access to public places and events requires one to be fully vaccinated while social gatherings will not exceed 50 per cent of indoor avenues and 75 per cent of outdoor places, among other guidelines.

Social gatherings also include wedding ceremonies and other events organized that bring together many people and non-compliance to measures will see both organizers and attendees penalized, Gatabazi clarified.

The new measures come at a time when, according to Mpunga, the country is coming out of its fourth wave of the pandemic, caused by the Omicron variant, as statistics show a decline in the positivity rate.

While clarifying the requirement of being fully vaccinated while accessing any public place, Gatabazi said these are any places that one might go to as soon as they step out of their homes, adding that it is applicable even when they have guests over at their homes.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, 8,507,727 people had received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine as of January 26, while 6,949, 580 people have their second dose.

The positivity rate in the country currently stands at one per cent.

Mpunga said that 96.4 per cent of adults in Rwanda have received the first dose while 83.3 per cent have the second dose while the booster shot remains at 2.1 per cent.

He said that adolescents in Kigali City and in 17 districts of the country have received the two doses of vaccine in their different schools while students in the remaining 10 districts have been given the first dose.

Mpunga also disclosed that at least 500,000 people remain to be vaccinated so that the country can hit the 70 per cent vaccination target, initially set to be achieved by mid this year.

"We also urge them to get vaccinated so we can achieve the target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population,” he said.