Rwandan with no travel history diagnosed with COVID-19

KIGALI, Rwanda

A 30-year-old Rwandan man with no recent travel history was among four people in the capital Kigali who tested positive Sunday for the novel coronavirus, said the Ministry of Health.

They also include a 34-year-old Rwandan man who arrived in the country on March 6 from South Sudan and his 36-year-old brother who arrived on March 8 from Fiji via the U.S. and Qatar, the ministry said in a statement.

The other case is a 22-year old Ugandan man who arrived in the country on March 15 from London.

The latest cases bring the total in the country to five since Saturday, when the first case was reported.

All of the patients are being treated at designated centers and are in stable condition, isolated from other patients, the ministry said.

It added that the tracing of all their contacts has been carried out.

Rwanda suspended schools, universities and places of worship across the country for two weeks effective Sunday to curb the spread of the coronavirus after its first confirmed case was announced, an Indian national who arrived in the country from Mumbai.

The government also banned large gatherings such as weddings as well as sporting events, which it said are to be postponed, while the number of people attending burial ceremonies is to be minimized.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700, with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

However, a vast majority of those who get infected recover from the illness.