Rwandan Government Set To Deliver Relief Food in an Attempt to Mitigate the Impact of Coronavirus on Its People

Rwandan government set to deliver relief food in an attempt to mitigate the impact of coronavirus on its people. Ever since the onset of this year, the world got to know of the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan city. As time passed the virus has gradually moved its epic centre from China to Europe then to USA and today its next epicentre is predicted to be in South America especially Brazil which is having an alarming of the rate of increase in new confirmed cases per day as well as daily date rate. Africa by no means has it been spared from the Coronavirus onslaught and its battling its own fair share of this global menace. However, what perhaps is still surprising is that Africa is seemingly not being battered as much as the developed countries are suffering from the wrath of this pandemic. All predictions made by all health experts point to a disaster in waiting had COVID-19 made its landfall in fall and their predictions where largely hinged on the fragile health care systems in almost all African countries.

It is safe to presume that many African leaders have largely helped in avoiding what could have possibly been a continental disaster by imposing strict measures in their countries even well before some of these countries had registered a single coronavirus case in them.

However, the lockdown in Africa and as many other developed nations around the world, has exposed how vulnerable the masses are when it comes to food security and also in financial terms. Many people who have been locked within the confinements of their homes are facing another imminent danger besides catching Coronavirus and this is hunger. Since many people who reside in suburban areas of African cities were found living on a hand to mouth basis before Cornavirus struck, the strain of not being able to go to work on a daily basis is certainly starting to take its toll on these people and many are on the verge of dying from hunger before even Coronavirus gets to them.

This new developing reality is alarming and many African governments have had to come up with measures to try and mitigate this new pending disaster before its starts claiming peoples lives as well. One of the countries we can look at in this is Rwanda.

Rwanda has formulated a social protective plan for the delivery of free food to at least 20 000 households in the capital Kigali. The door-to-door delivery is meant to mitigate the impact of a lockdown implemented on March 21 by the government, aimed at limiting the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On Friday Rwandan President Paul Kagame acknowledged that people’s livelihoods had been affected by the lockdown. “We know that this is not an easy period for most Rwandans, whose livelihoods have been interrupted across the country. But we ask you to be patient. Although we are making good progress, we cannot afford to relax yet,” he said. The social protection plan would support the most vulnerable in communities, Kagame added. “We need to speed this up. The government will continue to do everything possible, to support Rwandans through this challenging time,” he said.

The social protection plan would support the most vulnerable in communities, Kagame added.

“We need to speed this up. The government will continue to do everything possible, to support Rwandans through this challenging time,” he said. Kagame said he also planned to provide essential services such as the supply of water and electricity for free.  A statement from the health ministry said  ten additional cases of Covid-19 had been reported in Rwanda, raising the national tally to 70. The East African country reported its first case two weeks ago. The new infections include six people who recently travelled from Dubai, two coming back from South Africa, one traveller from Nigeria and another who had travelled in the East Africa region. All patients are in isolation and in stable conditions, the ministry said. “Heightened vigilance continues to be required,” it said.