After the lockdown was lifted, life resumed to normal for some people as seen from the many parties that have been posted. Yesterday the City of Kigali, through their twitter handle warned people against hosting unnecessary parties like baby and bridal showers that require inviting guests. An official from the institution told The New Times that it is their duty to remind Rwandans to be cautious in this period to help curb the spread of the virus, and that one way is to avoid convening people from different places. “People have been hosting unnecessary parties in hotels and homes where they do not wear masks or practice social distancing, and no one is there to ensure that they do. This is dangerous because guests convene from different parts of the city yet the host does not know their status. If a family is staying together and they are celebrating a child’s birthday or anniversary, they can do so at home without necessarily inviting any guests.” Noreen Muhoza (not real name), was recently surprised with a baby shower by few of her close friends. She is of the view that people deserve to be happy as long as they all live up to the rules and avoid any physical contacts. “Only a handful of my friends were present and the restaurant made sure there was enough distance amongst us and that we were thoroughly sanitized. Some people don’t take the measures seriously but the end of the day we all have to ensure responsibility so we can quickly end this pandemic,” she said. City of Kigali through their tweet however, reminded residents that the sooner they protect themselves, the better they will be able to celebrate. For most service providers the pandemic has affected business, mostly those that rely on parties like decorators and photographers. Diane Ingabire, an events planner and owner of D-décor advises service providers to be creative with their skills to avoid further uncertainties. “Just when we thought life was starting to pick up, the increasing numbers that caused lockdown in some parts of the city and stringent measures put us back down. I had to think of alternative means of income by setting up a boutique and do my décor when I get wedding gigs, she said.
