The Director-General of Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) has said that they are exploring possibilities where the cost of the rapid antigen test for Covid-19 could be brought down to as low as Rwf5,000. This would represent 50 per cent reduction. The cost for the rapid test is currently Rwf10,000. The reasoning behind this move is to ensure more Rwandans can test for the virus as frequently as possible which is one of the ways to limit the proliferation of the highly contagious virus within our communities. The spike in cases that has been witnessed over the past two weeks or so requires an all-hands-on-deck-approach to contain the virus that is more widespread in Kigali but is fast spreading to other parts of the country. Just recently, the government instituted new measures where some hospitality facilities like hotels and restaurants cannot be accessed without presenting negative results of Covid-19. These results will be valid for a period of up to one week. The same directive called for all staff of these establishments to test every fortnight. The list had 11 such establishments – mostly upmarket outlets – but Rwanda Development Board updated it to 40, with a promise that it will be regularly updated to include more facilities where people gather. Now let us not forget the financial implication of such a decision, much as it is one of the effective measures the government has come up with, without having to completely close down businesses, as the economy continues to limp out of the aftermath of last year’s lockdowns. The more we test, the better position we are in to protect ourselves. Already, government did good to decentralize testing services. It will be even better if we can get these services more affordably. At the current cost, not only will those patronizing these facilities keep away to avoid the prohibitive cost, the facilities themselves are burdened with the cost to test their staff, a situation that is exacerbated by the prevailing economic realities.
