By Diass Nyesiga;
For the first time since the initial lockdown was announced in March 2020, restaurants are shutdown, food delivery one of the fast growing e-commerce components will not work and Hotels will accommodate its Staff.
In the previous lockdowns, restaurants and takeaway cafés were allowed to work only for orders that will be delivered; Hotels too would operate with the staff allowed to come from their homes.
These guidelines by Rwanda Development Board-RDB after a cabinet meeting that instituted a 10 day lockdown from 17th July indicates the impact of the third wave of Covid-19 that saw numbers of infections fly above 900 in a single day.
“Food delivery and take-away services from restaurants is prohibited during the lockdown,” the Development Board said on its twitter handle.
This pushed several people to express their dissatisfaction arguing that there were people who relied on restaurants, which now demands to cook, which may be challenging.
“I have been having my meals at a restaurant, I don’t have a saucepan not even a fork, I can’t even cook,” Alexandre Habimana said.
Nevertheless, the e-commerce will still linger on with the delivery of groceries and other essentials to homes in order to help people avoid movements during the lockdown.
The cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on Wednesday instituted a 10 day lock down in the City of Kigali and districts of Musanze,Burera, Gicumbi, Kamonyi, Nyagatare, Rubavu, Rwamagana and Rutsiro.
“Hotels are encouraged to accommodate their staff within their facilities, in order to facilitate in-house guests and limit daily movement,” RDB further said adding that, Movement facilitation will be provided for hotels that are not able to accommodate their staff.
The guidelines also clear movement of International tourists coming into the country where they will be facilitated with movement clearances with strict adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines in place. But domestic tourism was suspended.
This was done, according to experts to further facilitate the sector, the country’s leading dollar earner to rebound after it was hit hard due to movement restrictions across the world.
Meanwhile, other businesses will close except markets and shops selling groceries, hygiene products, butcheries, dairy products, banks, mobile money agents, insurance services, taxation services, petrol stations, telcoms.
Agriculture activities will continue while factories will have to apply for work permits that will be vetted by Ministry of trade and industry.
With the new strict measures to curb the third wave, the country’s projected growth outlook this year ushering in a rebound till next year lies in balance. Central bank had projected a year on year growth of 5.1 percent this year.
