18th March 2020
Katie and I decide to go to the Immigration Office to pick up our residents permits, but the offices are closed apart from the department dealing with flights for tomorrow. There is a notice saying that due to COVID-19, enquiries can only be made online or by phone.
We go to the bookshop café, it’s very empty, only ourselves and another westerner. We’ve booked a flight to Zanzibar for 5th April and wonder whether it might still be possible to go, but then decide it would be unfair as there are no cases there yet. Then we talk about what we’d do if we were offered a flight home, would we go and come back? Or stay? Or just leave. We’re both of the opinion that we would stay.
The streets are deserted and the people we do see are mostly no longer wearing face masks. In Rwanda, people follow the rules. They mostly adore their President and trust that he will lead them in the right way. I'm beginning to feel the same - with his gentle reassurances and the way he has stepped into action even before there were C-19 cases in Rwanda, I feel safe being here.
Wednesday eve is card night at the Mambo Club again. It's very empty. A couple of people have decided not to come because of the situation. Katie brings surgical gloves, only one of the Rwandans who comes wears them. We all use hand sanitizer before we play.
An announcement is made in the UK that schools are to shut in 2 days time , except for key workers children and the most vulnerable. However, no one is sure yet how this is going to work.
Today’s Ministry of Health update informs of 3 more cases, so far all cases have been imported and for the first time there is one local transmission.
There is also information on the halting of all commercial passenger flights in and out of Rwanda from 20thMarch for an initial period of 30 days.
