Traders in Nyarugenge market which was reopened last week are now taking it upon themselves to hold each other accountable in regard to observing preventive measures against the Covid-19 that had their workplace closed down for 2 weeks recently. Nyarugenge along with the Nyabugogo market were closed mid last month due to the high number of Covid-19 infections. Upon reopening, the government put in place a number of preventive measures for the market users, among which: only 50 percent of the traders were allowed to work at a given time, in addition to the other measures like handwashing, and temperature tests before entering the building. Besides what the government and market administration are doing, the traders themselves are taking the fight seriously, bearing in mind what implications it has had on their lives and work. During a visit to the market by The New Times, we found out that the traders keep each other accountable and those who fail to adhere to the measures get suspended from the market for some time ranging from a day to slightly more. An official in the market’s security department told us that traders who don’t adhere to the preventive measures are sensitized, but if they fail to comply they can be thrown out of the market for one to two days. Traders in the market say they report their counterparts who evade the measures, and disciplinary action is taken where necessary. In addition, they (traders) remind their clients to respect social distancing while transacting with them. “After our market was closed down, we came back to work with unique measures when it was reopened. We learnt a great lesson,” said Francine Mukeshimana, a tailor in the market. “If your workplace gets locked down and you spend time sitting at home like we were, it makes you understand how you need to put in effort to fight the pandemic.” Mukeshimana leads a small group of tailors in the market and her responsibility includes ensuring that they respect these preventive measures, and she emphasizes seriousness in it. “I despise people that want to always be reminded to protect themselves against Covid-19,” she said. “As leaders we have the right to get them (non-compliant traders) and hand them over to the security officials in the market. For example, today in the morning one person who was not wearing a mask was taken. We can’t just stand and watch things that can bring trouble to us,” she added. Yet, the responsibility of ensuring the observance of measures does not stop among traders themselves. People like luggage carriers and ordinary clients who come to buy from the market are also kept accountable to the measures by the traders. Jean-Claude Makuza, who sells fruits in the market told The New Times that they tell clients not to get so close to them; and carriers of luggage not to get close to those they are assisting. Moise Hakizimana sells fish and meat in the market and says they are observing the measures and doing it willingly. Talking about the business situation in the market, Hakizimana told The New Times that the clientele is less these days because of the evening curfew, which cuts short the time of making sales.
