COVID-19 in Rwanda: A Surprising Success Story
By: Kaila Morris
With only 5,491 coronavirus cases compared to the 327,000 in Ohio, Rwanda has handled the pandemic remarkably well. Often overlooked in global politics, the 12-million person country has long been poor and overpopulated, in part because of its limited natural resources and the brutal aftermath of the 1995 genocide––but their largely successful approach to the pandemic has proved that fighting the coronavirus doesn’t have to be a losing battle, even with limited supplies.
However, circumstances didn’t start off nearly so positive. The capital city of Kigali and the Rwanda-Tanzania border suffered early on, and from late April to early May, the Rusizi District (population 458,000) evolved into a hotspot. The district has been the root of one-fifth of all cases in the country, due to the difficult nature of contact-tracing there, a culture of sharing nearly everything, and the lack of a laboratory. But, thanks to the work of first-responders, the upward trend has slowed, and the 40-50 new cases a day have devolved into only a handful, if any.
Thanks are also owed to Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame. Having ruled Rwanda for two decades, Kagame has been called both a tyrant and a great, benevolent leader; whatever the case, his authoritarian leadership has been helpful in a time when the rules put in place must be followed. The country has, for the most part, been successful in following mask, hand-washing, social-distancing, and stay-at-home orders: a feat that even developed countries such as the U.S. haven’t been able to claim. Whether Rwandans’ compliance with rules has been because of their fear of Kagame (under whose rule there have been over a dozen notable killings, imprisonments, exiles, and tortures) or trust (Bill Clinton has called Kagame one of “the greatest leaders of our time”), there’s no reason to complain from this regard.
In addition to the mask and social-distancing guidelines mentioned above, the government of Rwanda has announced several other mandates: withholding relevant and necessary information for contact tracing will result in punishment; a modified curfew will be in effect from 10PM to 5AM; businesses are expected to employ only essential workers in-person. Additionally, every business has a hand-washing station and sanitizer dispenser outside of it. Schools, universities, and places of worship have remained closed; funerals cannot have more than 30 people; and meetings in public spaces and mass gatherings are prohibited. Individual sporting activities in open spaces are allowed, but sports facilities, gyms, and recreational centers are closed.
Even prisons have taken strict measures. After a recent spike in cases at prisons on Monday, November 16th, the Ministry of Health reaffirmed that relatives are not allowed to visit, money can only be sent through mobile transactions, and elderly and high-risk inmates must be separated from other inmates. Additionally, new inmates must quarantine for two-weeks before joining others, and no one can be discharged without first having a negative test.
In terms of transportation, public and private transport is allowed within the same province, but transport between different provinces and Kigali (the capital) is reduced. Anyone visiting Rwanda from internationally must take a test and quarantine upon their arrival, in a government-approved hotel; coming off an airplane, passengers are even greeted with anti-epidemic robots, which can screen up to 150 people per minute for COVID-19 symptoms. Foreigners may also find police officers and members of the Anti-Corona Task Force stationed on roadsides, pulling over cars with unmasked drivers and passengers.
Rwanda’s economy has undoubtedly taken a hit from all these strict policies, yet Rwandan Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente actually noted at the Concordia Africa Summit (an international conference discussing several issues facing Africa) on Tuesday, November 17, that there were untapped opportunities in the country. Specifically, Ngirente believes that Rwanda has the ability to make and export PPE–– with an economy based primarily on subsistence agriculture, this new area of expertise would be a great and much-needed monetary gain.
Looking forward, there are two main concerns Rwanda will need to address in terms of COVID-19 if they hope to continue their success story. First, policymakers and educators are in the midst of determining the best system possible to keep children engaged and learning; targeted instruction, or grouping children according to learning level and teaching to that level, to have smaller groups, seems to be the best approach so far, but what’s the safest and the most practical? And, secondly, the “lean season,” or period between planting and harvesting during which food reserves and labor opportunities decline, will end come December, but has thus far marked a period of food insecurity and malnutrition for many. How Rwanda will deal with these annual problems in addition to the ones already emphasized by the pandemic, will be key as we continue to monitor their COVID-19 experience.
In the meantime, take notes, America. When it comes to the pandemic, we’ve still got a lot to learn–– and that learning process can start with Rwanda.
For the Context | The below chart shows Rwanda’s total number of cases, positivity rate, and death count when compared to Ohio, which has a similar population. However, while Ohio is 41,000 square miles, Rwanda is only about 10,000; making it incredibly densely-populated–– which makes their accomplishments in retaining low COVID-19 numbers all the more impressive.
Rwanda vs Ohio | Rwanda | Ohio
Population. 12.3m. 11.69m
# of Cases. 5,491. 327,000
Positivity Rate 0.8% 14.3%
Deaths 45 5,890
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