Community health workers were instrumental in helping Southern Province to contain a surge in novel coronavirus cases in recent weeks, the provincial governor has said.

Alice Kayitesi said health volunteers were a key part of efforts to slow the spread of the virus in the six districts of Gisagara, Huye, Nyamagabe, Nyanza, Nyaruguru, and Ruhango, which were until Monday under stringent restrictions as opposed to the rest of the country.

The six districts were put under special protocols on May 5, with only Kamonyi and Muhanga spared the tough measures during that period.

At the time the strict measures were imposed on the region, Southern Province accounted for up to 85 per cent of daily new cases recorded across the country, according to Rwanda Biomedical Centre.

Some of the measures included longer curfew hours, from 7p.m to 4a.m.

However, the cabinet on Monday eased the restrictions in the province, with curfew starting at 10p.m through 4.m – just like elsewhere in the country, except for Karongi District in Western Province.

On Monday, Southern Province recorded six new confirmed Covid-19 infections, three times less than the numbers it registered on May 5 when much of the region was put under strict protocols.

Door-to-door effort

Governor Kayitesi said the single most important factor behind the success registered in efforts to control the virus in the south over the last few weeks was a door-to-door campaign involving thousands of community health workers (CHWs).

The volunteers walked through all the villages in the province, from house to house, raising awareness about the virus and how to prevent it.

If anyone presented with Covid-19 symptoms, she said, the volunteers would advise them to go to a nearby health centre to be tested.

CHWs would also inform residents about Covid-19 prevention measures and encourage them to follow all guidelines that are in place.

CHWs are volunteers deployed at the grassroots across the country whose primary role is to promote basic healthcare and best health practices among communities. The government enlisted CHWs early on in the fight against the pandemic across the country.

Kayitesi said the volunteers visited between 3000 and 5000 households in each district daily, representing an average of 9000 residents.

"This exercise paid off, it helped reduce Covid transmissions,” the governor told The New Times. "Those who were found infected were followed up in time before they could reach a critical stage.”

The governor added that the door-door exercise is still ongoing, with several rounds of visits already conducted across the province.

The objective is to ensure that everyone remains committed to the fight, she noted.

Asked what had triggered a spike in the number of cases in the province, she primarily blamed violation of prevention guidelines. She cited bars that operated clandestinely, residents who held illegal prayer gatherings, and community infections as a result of not properly following up on people who tested positive and who went about mingling with others.

The provincial head expressed confidence that residents in the region were ready to cooperate going forward, arguing that they had learnt a lesson from recent stringent restrictions and lockdowns before that.

"We feel people now understand what it takes to avoid tough restrictions being reinstated and that boils down to every individual’s conduct,” she said. "We’ll continue to be vigilant across the board.”