Rwanda reports daily surge in new COVID-19 cases after seeing downward trend

Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-15 13:06:58|Editor: huaxia

KIGALI, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda on Friday reported a daily surge of 93 new COVID-19 cases and 46 recoveries, after a two-week downward trend in active cases.

Eighty of the new infections were reported here in the capital city, according to the health ministry's daily update.

The rise has brought the nationwide total infections and recoveries to 2,293 and 1,604, respectively.

The Rwandan government on Friday updated measures and guidelines to contain the spread of the pandemic.

A cabinet meeting decided to maintain the curfew that bans people from going out from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The meeting also required the public and private businesses to continue operation with no more than 50 percent staff, while other employees can continue working from home on a rotational basis.

Rwanda Biomedical Center, affiliated to the ministry of health, has asked all travelers going in Rwanda to hold a negative COVID-19 certificate of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), while other tests including rapid diagnostic tests are not accepted.

It also said all travelers departing from Rwanda must test negative for COVID-19 within five days before departure.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who was rarely seen in a face mask when chairing Friday's cabinet meeting, on the same day tweeted a photo of him wearing a face mask in response to #WearAMask challenge launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), and called on "more and better work" in the battle against the pandemic. Enditem

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