I'm sure that your inboxes are being flooded with updates regarding the impacts of the coronavirus and I just wanted to send a short update about the situation in Rwanda as we know it. As of last night, there are 11 known cases of people infected with the virus and no deaths so far. The government had been preparing for the arrival of the virus and proactively providing guidance about hand washing and cancelling gatherings with many people. The President even created a video to show best practices for hand washing!
The schools were closed as of the beginning of this week and will be closed at least until after the first week of April which would have been the break for the end of the first trimester and Time of Remembrance. If things go well, the students will return to school at the scheduled time in mid-April for the beginning of the second trimester and will finish their exams from the first trimester before continuing on in their studies.
The airport is also closing from tomorrow night (3/20) and will be closed for 30 days. Several of the people currently known to have coronavirus in Rwanda arrived from other international locations and so this step of stopping flights will hopefully prevent additional cases from arriving via the airport.
Please join us in hoping the best for our families and students in Rwanda.
We are hopeful that the virus will be contained well and not too many will be affected in Rwanda. We appreciate your continued support financially as well as thoughts and prayers as this is a challenging time for much of the world. We are thankful for ways of unifying even in the midst of trials.
Thank you always.