For two weeks at least four sectors that make up the town of Kamembe in Rusizi district were put under total lockdown.
The step was informed by an upsurge in Covid-19 infections reported in the district over the last few days.
In a statement issued by the Local Government Ministry on Thursday, it was clarified that sectors including Nyakarenzo, Mururu, Kamembe and part of Gihundwe will be in lockdown and will remain out of reach with other parts of Rusizi and the country as efforts continue to isolate cases that may be in communities.
Other parts of the district sharing a border with DR Congo will continue to follow precautionary measures already in place by the recent cabinet meeting that are applicable in other parts of the country.
04.06.2020
AMABWIRIZA YO GUKUMIRA IKWIRAKWIRA RYA KORONAVIRUSI MU KARERE KA RUSIZI. pic.twitter.com/3EPUiKS28C
— Ministry of Local Government | Rwanda (@RwandaLocalGov) June 4, 2020
All non-essential services are prohibited, and employees are required to work from home.
Markets, shops, car wash, all construction activities and business activities are all prohibited for at least two weeks.
Restaurants and hotels will use only essential staff and provide only takeaway services whereas outdoor activities such as fishing and swimming in Lake Kivu will not be allowed.
Speaking on Radio Rwanda, the Minister of State at the Health Ministry, Tharcisse Mpunga, said more patients are being identified and found in the area.
Medical teams and facilities were deployed across the area to control and contain the virus spread, he said.
Mpunga added that more than 2,000 Kamembe samples are being screened daily and they plan to test the entire town of Kamembe and its peripheries.
“We have been recording a big number of patients from same areas. It means the virus has been spreading for days. Until we trace all the patients, the city will remain locked,” he said.
Asked if Rubavu district, which also shares a border with the DR Congo, will be placed under lockdown, Mpunga said there is no justification so far to lock Rubavu down.
“We are closely watching Rubavu. As long as we have new spreading infections, we will not hesitate to apply lockdown,” he said.
Speaking on the national radio, Anastase Shyaka, the local government minister said that the government is aware of the fact that most residents of this city thrive on trade , especially across the border, and will therefore be heavily affected by the lockdown.
The government, according to Shyaka, is ready to support businesses, individuals whose daily survival depended on cross-border businesses and hand-to-mouth jobs.
“We ask the public to follow the rules and worry less about food and businesses. The government is ready to provide all necessary support as long as the virus is contained,” Shyaka said.
Minister Shyaka called on the public to take protective measures and avoid interaction with the locked areas.
“Rusizi is now experiencing the worst scenario since the first Covid-19 case in March. This shows how prevalent and sudden the virus can be. All Rwandans should collaborate,” he noted
Over the last four days more than 20 patients have been traced in Rusizi. The first patients were identified as cross-border business owners, truck drivers plying the Rusizi-Bukavu road, DR Congo, and one taxi motorcyclist.
