Belgium closes its Kigali embassy after COVID-19 incident

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Belgium closes its Kigali embassy after COVID-19 incident

9:15 CAT | 17 Mar 2020

Belgium has temporarily shut down its embassy in Rwanda following the presence of an individual at a meeting at its embassy in Kigali, who had contracted the coronavirus, officials said Monday. The Belgian diplomatic mission will be closed until 30 March following guidelines from the local authorities and as a precautionary measure, the statement issued by the embassy said without confirming the identity of the patient.

Reports indicate that on Saturday, an Indian citizen working for an international organisation in Kigali who arrived from Mumbai on 8 March tested positive for the virus.

Four new cases have so far been reported in Rwanda, the Health ministry announced late on Sunday, raising the total number of infections to five, including four Rwandans.

The statement issued by the Ministry of Health said one of the cases is a 34-year-old Rwandan man who arrived from South Sudan on 6 March while the second involves his brother who arrived from Fiji via US and Qatar two days later.

A 30-yer-old Rwandan man in Kigali with no recent travel history and a 22-year-old Ugandan man who arrived from London on 8 March were among those who tested positive.

Following the new confirmed cases, the Education ministry ordered that all public and private schools be closed for two weeks.

All residents of Rwanda should continue to observe all instructions from health authorities, the ministry said.

The ministry said the tracing of all contacts has been conducted for further management.

On Saturday, President Paul Kagame took it upon himself to urge citizens to not panic, but observe the right instructions, which he said are simple but effective means of keeping everyone safe.

The Rwandan leader joined the #SafeHands challenge on Sunday, with a video of him hand washing.

Subsequently, he challenged several other leaders and high-profile personalities to join the cause by posting footage of themselves washing hands.

Tags : APA

Source: APA