For the second day in a row, Rwanda on Friday registered no new case of coronavirus among all samples tested over the past 24 hours. It has also been relatively impressive week so far compared to previous weeks because from Monday, May 11, the country has only registered just three cases, which has raised optimism among Rwandans. As of Friday, May 15, 2020, the recovered cases had gone up to 177 after nine more patients were discharged after successfully undergoing treatment for the highly contagious virus. The infections in Rwanda stand at 287 since the first case was recorded in mid-March. All the 1,058 samples collected on Friday returned negative. The figures which give hope of victory are being demonstrated after the country passed through two phases of the pandemic’s battle. The first phase was characterized by a 40-days total lockdown with an exception to essential services and emergencies. The second one, which started on May 4, saw the lockdown lifted, with some restrictive measures to contain the spread of the virus. The decision to lift the lockdown was prompted by a government survey which showed that there are no community infections. Since the lockdown was lifted, wearing protective masks has been made mandatory while a daily curfew between 8pm and 5am is in place. While no death has been recorded in Rwanda from the virus, it has claimed lives of over 300,000 people worldwide with over 4.5 million infections. More than 1.5 million have recovered from the virus according to world meter count on Friday, May 15.
