By now we all know that curfews are effective in slowing down the spread of the new coronavirus, especially when well observed and the earlier they are set, the more effective they are.

On June 29, a Cabinet meeting put the curfew between 6pm and 4am -the earliest it has been set from previous times of 7pm, 8pm, 9pm or 10pm, since the covid-19 outbreak.

Bringing curfew time forward was a result of the increasing covid-19 cases with daily records going above 800. It is presumed that the more people stay out late, the higher chances of mingling.

Normally, with such numbers, it would be a total lockdown, but the government looked at many things, including the need to keep the already affected economy operational, for people to be able to make ends meet.

Managing work time during curfew can be stressing.

As the latest preventive measures are set to be reviewed with the 15 days almost elapsing, there are signs that the curfew might not be going anywhere soon given the high numbers, with some people already anticipating a full lockdown once candidate students complete their national exams and head back home.

However, over and over again, observing curfew time has proved to be an uphill task, with Rwanda National Police (RNP) revealing that more than 50, 000 people were caught violating the curfew in just four days, majority of them claiming to be workers who were caught up at work for one reason or another.

In a video shared by RNP on July 12, the Police Spokesperson, CP John Bosco Kabera, attributed the failure to adhere to curfew time mainly to poor planning.

While the majority of workers, including those in public institutions, are supposed to be working from home, there are those whose work requires them to go to their workplace, shuttling to and from work while making sure that 6pm finds them home.

Below are five tips’ workers can consider to manage their work time properly and avoid running into trouble with law enforcement for violating curfew time.

Plan ahead of time

According to CP Kabera, the main reason people don’t observe curfew time is poor planning of the day where some fail to effectively manage the time available to them in a day.

"One has to take note of working hours available in the day and plan for them accordingly by reserving ample time to go home early, depending on the distance one has to cover between work and home,” Kabera says.

This in essence means that if you live in Kabuga and work from town, you might need more than an hour -that is leaving town perhaps by 4pm, if you use public means. It could be much faster if you are using private means or a motorbike.

However, be mindful of possible traffic jam in Remera, especially Giporoso area, which gets clogged up till late. Alternatively, you can find shortcuts but it is ideal to leave work early.

Stick to time

According to the Police Spokesperson, some people, particularly those running businesses, want to trade for an extra 10 minutes or so beyond 5pm when they are supposed to close, in a bid to make a quick last buck of the day.

Once you don’t play by the rules (time in this case), chances are you will find yourself being caught by curfew on the way home because you did not stick to time.

Failure to stick to time can result into many other consequences including accidents due to over speeding and the possibility of being arrested and fined not only for working beyond the official closing hours but also for violating curfew. You end up spending much more than that extra buck you were looking for.

Work early

Utilising early morning hours and the afternoon is the safest bet to beat the evening curfew. Make sure you accomplish most of the tasks that don’t depend on time or other factors such as clients, as early as you can.

This will save you from panicking as curfew time approaches yet you could have done it earlier. Remember curfew ends at 4am, which gives one room to wake up as early as possible to attack the day.

Avoid procrastination

Procrastination will be your biggest undoing in these times where very minute counts. Avoid procrastinating by all means. Stay away from distractions at work such as social media, movies, chit chat with co-workers and other time-consuming activities like spending long hours in breaks.

Postponing things to do them hastily as curfew approaches is one sure way of finding yourself not being able to get transport means or getting clogged up in traffic jam (with fellow procrastinators).

If it is not important, leave it

Sometimes we tend to spend precious time on less important things and miss the more important ones. If there is a report to read or important emails you want to respond to, you can do this at home. You don’t necessarily have to be in the office, unless you have a deadline to meet.

Divide your tasks and assignments on your schedule based on importance and timeliness. The least important and less time sensitive tasks can be accomplished at home, rather than having to spend a night in the stadium.

Get a pass

If for some reason you think that it will be impossible to beat the curfew, you are better off getting clearance from RNP, which you can apply for on the website or via your mobile phone.

If you have pertinent reasons, you will get clearance but it is better to apply well ahead of time to be sure whether you will get it or not. Not everyone can secure a pass.