Rwanda has taken yet another step toward normality by allowing for the re-opening of bars after 18 months of closure and further easing a range of restrictions. Other sectors such as the gaming industry are also re-opening gradually, while up to 75 per cent of employees can now work from their offices, public or private. The cabinet has also eased limitations on gatherings as it increasingly requires those attending events to present evidence of Covid vaccination and a negative test. Recent progress toward full reopening of the economy is largely thanks to the gains made in recent months, including bringing Covid positivity rate to under 5 per cent, with Monday’s statistics from the Ministry of Health putting the rate at 2.5 per cent. With some 10 per cent of Rwandans having received both Covid jabs and the government on course to inoculate at least 30 per cent of the population by the end of the year, there is hope we will soon be back to some semblance of normalcy. However, this does not in any way mean the pandemic has been defeated. We are not out of the woods yet and there is still a lot we don’t know about the virus. Indeed, new infections continue to be registered, so are deaths. This calls for continued vigilance at an individual and collective level, by observing all of the preventive guidelines. While vaccinated people are at a lower risk of serious illness from the virus, they can contract and spread it, so getting jabbed doesn’t mean you throw away your mask or go to crowded places without a good reason. And, from experience, whenever enforcement and compliance of Covid protocols have faltered we have often ended up paying heavily and effectively undermined recovery efforts. To ensure safe reopening of business, it is paramount that service providers, clients and the general public continue to observe all of the Covid-19 guidelines, including properly wearing face masks, observing physical distancing, washing or sanitising hands regularly, avoiding or limiting our time indoors, and testing regularly. Letting our guard down would be so costly at a time when the economy badly needs steady progress toward full recovery.
