Rwanda Reopens its border with Congo

Rwanda Reopens its border with Congo

Rwanda Reopens its border with Congo in a few hours and this had put both countries on tension as concerns started to rise over the incident. Just a few hours of negotiations and talks with the governments of Rwanda and Congo, the Rwandan government opened its borders from Congo for the usual business as usual. There was some unrest at the border on the 1st of August 2019 when the Rwandan side was exempting movements from Congo into the country following the 3rd death in Goma town. Goma town is a very busy and populated town of about two million residents and business people so this rose the fears of the spread of the deadly disease (Ebola).

Talks were held when the Rwanda side closed and after a few discussions, Amb Olivier Ndughungirehe; the secretary of Rwanda foreign affairs came out with a tweet clarifying that the issue was a misunderstanding and the border was open to those wishing to cross.

Ebola in Congo has persisted longer than usual in the past scenarios and with cases spreading from Beni further down to Goma town, it had to raise concerns on how to limit further spread to neighboring countries. Ebola screenings and checks have now intensified and the chances of the spread are surely going to be lowered. There have been over 2,700 recorded Ebola cases with about 10 per day as reported by the World Health team in DRCongo.

No cases have ever been recorded in Rwanda despite its closeness to the Republic of Congo as this deadly disease has been more common in the further side of Beni so there shouldn’t be any need to worry. There have only been 3 cases in Goma as of yesterday the 1st of August so we keep watching the situation and keep updates.

Virunga National Park is still a great destination as what it has to offer is incomparable that is the ICCN endangered mountain gorillas and the world’s largest lava lake at Mount Nyiragongo so if you have plans to visit this park, you shouldn’t turn away but maybe stay updated about the situation and book your tour when the situation calms down. So many people who have visited this park testify to its unmatchable unique beauty and the park authorities are keen on ensuring health of their clients thus the tight screenings and constant check-ups of those joining the tour to Virunga so you can be rest assured of being safe however, you are also advised to maintain maximum proper hygiene as Ebola is easily spread with poor hygiene.  

Some hints on how to prevent catching Ebola.

  • Avoid unnecessary body contact that is hugging, handshakes or any form of touching that will involve you exchanging body fluids with another individual.
  • Constantly wash your hands with soap and water.
  • Avoid or stay away from eating bush meat as the animals could be infected and pass on the virus to you. 
  • Stay away or resist from having direct contact with sick or infected people. 
  • Don’t touch remains or discharge of an infected person.
  • Follow what the health workers advise you in case you are caught in such a situation where you are surrounded by sick or infected Ebola patients. 

“Therefore stay calm as the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being handled and with the right precautions, one can visit the untapped beauty in Congo’s Virunga National Park since the border is Open.”

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