Government Rescinds Plan to Relax COVID-19 Measures on June 1
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With a new surge in infections, government surprisingly made U-Turn a few minutes to scheduled relaxing of existing COVID-19 measures.
It was announced in previous cabinet decisions mid May that inter-provincial travel would be opened on June 1, as well as allowing Moto transport to carry passengers.
This past week, thousands of Moto owners have been preparing them to return on the roads, also provoking a social media hashtag #SafeTheDate. They had been given strict conditions including no cash payments. They also had to have sanitizers, masks and head covers for each passenger so that they do not have contact with same helmet.
Utilities regulator RURA had also encouraged people who can afford their personal helmets, to purchase them.
Now, about 30 minutes to midnight, the Office of the Prime Minister Dr Edouard Ngirente, issued statement posted on Twitter that the motos remain suspended “until further notice”.
Also canceled is the province to province travel. At the moment, no one is allowed to leave Kigali to other provinces. Also, nobody leaves any other province to another.
The surprise changes come following days of consecutive increase in infections and small number of recoveries. On Sunday alone, 11 new cases were recorded.
On Saturday, the first death was reported, of a Rwandan repatriated from Tanzania. In addition, the Health ministry also said a person who had entered Rwanda through the porous border, was found to have to the virus – a case that may have come from Burundi or Tanzania, both with high and uncontrolled infection rates.
Meanwhile, many of the measures such as the night curfew and no bars, sports, gatherings and prayers, remain in place until further notice. Border also remains closed. The schools will reopen in September.
In the same statement tonight from the PM, a cabinet meeting is due on Tuesday June 2 to decide on next course of action.
