The level of irresponsible behaviour in these times of the Coronavirus outbreak is sometimes unbelievable. Despite the strict government ban on travel between districts to avoid the possible transmission of the virus, 25 people were this week intercepted on their way to the Northern Province. To date, Rwanda has been able to curb, to a certain extent, the widespread community transmission of COVID-19 by putting in place measures that included a total lockdown and safety guidelines like social distancing, handwashing and wearing face masks in public. It is only through early strict implementation of such guidelines that guarantee a chance against the pandemic. One country that stands out in the successful implementation of protective measures is New Zealand. This week it declared victory against the virus. When its first case was reported on February 28, at a time when other countries were still groping in the dark, it announced strict lockdown measures and mass testing. Essential service providers were supposed to record the particulars of all people they interacted with to facilitate contact tracing. As of the end of this past week, it had managed to flatten the curve with less than 1,500 confirmed and probable cases of which 21 died. Today they remain with only two patients in hospital. That is the best example that the pandemic can be beaten and eradicated within our population and the current situation points to that fact; all the new cases are being found among long-distance trans-border truck drivers with hardly any cases of community transmissions. If New Zealand can do it, so can we, but it will need more than just paying lip service to directives by health professionals but following them to the letter.
