Meal delivery services offered by restaurants are some of the previously essential services that have been halted in 11 districts- including Kigali- placed in lockdown as part of efforts to control the spread of Covid-19.
The guidelines by Rwanda Development Board (RDB) highlighted that food delivery and takeaway services were not allowed during the lockdown that started Saturday July 17.
"Food delivery and take-away services from restaurants is prohibited during the lockdown in the City of Kigali and the districts of Burera, Gicumbi, Kamonyi, Musanze, Nyagatare, Rubavu, Rwamagana and Rutsiro; starting July 17th to July 26th 2021,” Rwanda Development Board said in a statement.
With the services allowed during previous lockdowns, it led to an uproar on social media platforms with some adding humour to the situation that it would be a tough time for bachelors with ‘limited cooking skills’.
In a social media post, the RDB CEO Clare Akamanzi said that the decision was aimed at reducing the number of people who need to leave home to go to work as takeaway services and deliveries would require staff at restaurants.
With restaurants, cafes and coffee shops across the city, staff at the outlets would be required to go to work which RDB feared could reduce the impact of the lockdown.
"Objective is to significantly reduce the number of people that need to leave home and go to work. Takeaway services would require staff of all those restaurants and cafes to go to work thereby reducing the impact of lockdown,” she explained in response to queries.
She added that the reduction of the workforce in the respective outlets was not found feasible as it had been the case for the last two weeks but did little to bring down the numbers.
"Because that’s what we have been doing all these months! Operating at 30-50% then only takeaway but numbers just increased,” she added.
As part of the measures to reduce the number of people who need to be up and about, the agency has also called on domestic tourists to schedule their trips after the lockdown, which is expected to last until July 26.