Rwandans start life under mandatory mask-wearing

Rwandans are adhering to a government directive for mandatory wearing of face masks in public during the ongoing lockdown.

The order was announced on Saturday by the health ministry and took effect from Monday.

In the capital Kigali, police could be seen questioning those with no face masks, but no arrests were made, according to a BBC Great Lakes reporter.

Affordable masks are yet to hit the market in Rwanda although the government has announced a list of local companies allowed to make face masks.

A middle-aged woman without a mask in the east of the capital told the BBC that she was waiting for affordable masks as those available are expensive.

Under the lockdown, Rwandans are only allowed out of their homes for medical care, buying food, seeking financial services or to deliver those services.

Over the weekend, the lockdown was extended by two more weeks to 30 April.

Rwanda has reported 147 cases of coronavirus and no deaths.