May 4 is a date that has quite a number of events in world history. It is the date that iconic US president Abraham Lincoln was laid to rest after being cut down by an assassin’s bullets in 1865. 114 years later, Britain swore in its first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. On that same date at the height of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Israeli Premier Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat signed the historical accord for Palestinian self-rule. 26 years later, Rwandans were given some respite from the COVID-19 invasion when they were finally “set free”, albeit with some conditions, from a historical lockdown. After a month and a half of a nationwide lockdown, the streets of Kigali regained life with many vehicle owners eager to leave their homes to breath in the old bustle of the city. Despite weeks of sensitization on social distancing and other safety measures, it was evident that some people are still careless. Wearing a face mask does not cancel out keeping a safe distance from others. Even though markets were allowed to open, vendors were supposed to work in shifts to avoid congestion. While they conformed to the directives, their masked customers did not, especially at the entrances where they had to wash the hands. They shoved and pushed and rushed to enter the markets throwing caution into the air. The same happened in public transport. Despite having safe sitting and standing dispositions, the doorways were jammed with people struggling to enter. What both the above scenarios showed is that people still have much to learn regarding safety measures, especially when left to their own device to determine where the COVID-19 dangers may lie. The first day of the “freedom” may be excused and blamed on excitement, but more caution is needed in the coming days.
