This archive report was first published on 13 June 2020.
On Thursday, June 11, 2020, Rwanda recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, the highest of the week, contributed mainly by citizens arriving from neighboring countries.
The new cases were largely attributed to the Rusizi District cluster and repatriated Rwandans, who have been traced and isolated, according to the Ministry of Health.
As the country continues to receive its citizens stranded in other countries, all returnees undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine, which has been effective in detecting clusters of cases, including those repatriated from Tanzania and DR Congo.
Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Director of Rwanda Biomedical Centre, noted that the surge in cases was largely due to the detection of coronavirus among clusters of Rwandans repatriated from Tanzania and DR Congo.
Notably, a group of 53 Rwandans repatriated from the United Arab Emirates in late April tested negative for the virus, and most have since been released from quarantine and reunited with their families.
Additionally, a group of 130 Rwandans coming from Uganda last week are also under quarantine, but no positive cases have been reported among them.
As part of its efforts to contain the spread of the virus, Rwanda has also begun mass testing of its peacekeepers in South Sudan, where it has 560 police officers under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
By Thursday, the country had conducted more than 84,000 Covid-19 tests, with 494 confirmed positive cases, 313 recoveries, and two deaths reported.
