At the beginning of this week, the country partially opened up after over 40 days of a total lockdown in an ongoing effort to combat COVID-19. The decision came into force on May 04 and will be reviewed after 15 days. Rwanda has so far reported 261 confirmed cases, of which 129 recovered. As reiterated by the Ministry of Health, the country is not yet free of COVID-19 despite promising outcomes in the fight against this pandemic in Rwanda. Below are six disciplines that every citizen should abide by during the eased lockdown to ensure the pandemic is completely contained in the country. Wearing facemasks Considering that COVID-19 is transmitted through droplets released when someone having it coughs, speaks or sneezes, wearing of mask properly in the public and multi-family compounds is always essential because it ensures that these droplets do not reach to a nearby person or surface. The mask should cover both the mouth and nose, and should not be removed, especially when someone is speaking. Self-distancing Maintaining a distance of at least one meter between individuals, especially while in the public, is consistently recommended. The distance helps to make sure that you are not too close to inhale small droplets from someone having COVID-19. Cashless payment As reiterated by the World Health Organization, COVID-19 can remain on different surfaces including money for hours. On this note, it is always advisable to pay or receive payments online as a preventive measure and avoid using cash as much as possible. Leave home if necessary While both public and private transport resumed operations, only those with tangible reasons are allowed to leave their homes, whereas others are advised to remain indoor to help contain COVID-19. People who can comfortably work from home can continue doing so until the time when the situation shall normalized. Washing hands Touching a place that has COVID-19 and later touch your nose, mouth or eyes is one major vessel of contaminating this Virus. A critical way of preventing this is by washing your hands regularly and thoroughly with water and soap or with a licensed sanitizer. Respecting curfew Under new directives of curbing the spread of COVID-19, all movements are restricted between 8 pm and 5 am unless in case of an emergency. As per the Rwanda National Police, everyone should appropriately plan the daily schedule and make sure that the curfew finds him or her home.
