The 8-Minute Rule for EWN: Eyewitness News

Lockdowns and border closings were executed very early after the very first couple of cases were reported, to support the method of prevention. As early as March 15, different African countries closed their borders, canceled flights, and imposed rigorous lockdown measures to prevent the increase of cases. Tickernewsng, Nigerian News executed among the strictest lockdowns worldwide on March 27, which contributed to the decline of the rate of infections from 42 to 4%.

What was crucial about Rwanda's response was its capability to adapt quickly to modifications in contextual aspects and to occurring circumstances for circumstances, lengthening the lockdown in areas with high incidence rate, opening those with lower case rates, and closing popular congested markets and relocating the traders to smaller markets in less populous locations.

In Rwanda, the government interacted prevention standards through social media channels and other standard media sources, such as the radio, and leveraged community healthcare workers to raise public awareness about the virus and the avoidance measures. Hand-washing stations were offered at public places, and because of the closing of schools, trainee volunteers were used to motivate individuals to adhere to these guidelines.

Nevertheless, simply implementing the guidelines is not sufficient to occurring adherence. In Rwanda, the federal government took its theoretical understanding of the social factors of health into practice. In a country where the informal sector represent 64% of economic output, the lockdown led to the disruption of economic activity and hindered people from making income to support their households.

Since May 19, the federal government had provided this support to 20,000 susceptible households. Moreover, testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine services, along with treatment, were all supplied totally free. We can also see similar examples in other African nations. For instance, the Federal Real Estate Corporation in Ethiopia announced a 50% reduction in housing lease due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Such procedures of support to the vulnerable are essential to guaranteeing that those who can not manage to follow prevention steps by themselves have the capability to do so. Lastly, many African nations embraced ingenious technological tools to react to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Rwanda, the federal government utilized robotics to take individuals' temperature level in public areas and health centers; drones for mass communication, surveillance, and medicine delivery; and pooled testing to maximize human and funds.