The Rwandan government said Friday that the current COVID-19 restrictions will be eased from February 23, with the reduction of curfew hours and the resumption of public offices in the capital city of Kigali.
Under the new measures effective from February 23 to March 15, movements will be prohibited between 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. nationwide, and shortened from the current 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., according to a Cabinet communique.
Public offices in Kigali, which have been required to close, will resume with essential staff at no more than 30 percent capacity, and all schools across the country will be allowed to open.
The government also decided to continue banning movements between Kigali and other places, except for essential services, medical reasons and tourism.
It also allowed the reopening of restaurants and cafes, with a 30 percent occupancy limit.
A lockdown was imposed in Kigali from January 18 through February 7 due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in the city. The government has gradually lifted restrictive measures against COVID-19 in and outside the city since then.
The average number of new infections reported each day in Rwanda falls by more than 250 over the last 3 weeks, 71% of its previous peak.
COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Rwanda, with 103 new infections reported on average each day. That’s 29% of the peak — the highest daily average reported on January 30.
There have been 17,988 infections and 247 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.
