It all started with a tweet by one, Isimbi Edwuige, complaining of the rip-off by some merchants in the height of the Coronavirus invasion. A pharmacy selling some products under the Oxalis brand was masking bottles of glycerine with labels marked “hand sanitizer”. In less than 24 hours, Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) had recalled all Oxalis products from the market, but whatever happened later, the person behind the Oxalis deceit should be prosecuted. It was expected that once COVID-19 made landfall in Rwanda, some people would attempt to take advantage of it. The most enterprising people were already on the streets selling locally manufactured foot-operated handwashing apparatus. But for others, it was greed at play. The prices of hand sanitisers, alcohol-based liquids, face masks and rubber gloves shot up as people rushed to buy them. Food prices also began soaring before the government stepped in to fix prices and pharmacies ordered to post their prices outside their premises. All these measures are necessary to prevent social scavengers from ripping off people. Nevertheless, the epidemic has shown the other side of a very organised government where a good communication strategy is paying off and the level of awareness is very high. However, despite banks bracing for losses due to a pandemic that no one knows how long it will last, there is one positive takeaway; the cashless system that was still trying to find its feet suddenly got a boost for the fear of touching money. Whatever the threats posed by COVID-19, the best defence is hygiene; constant handwashing.
