Rwanda coronavirus cases have risen from 50 to 60 after the health ministry identified four and six new infections on Friday and Saturday respectively.

The patients include travelers who arrived from Dubai, and United States while others are contacts of previously confirmed positive travelers who were detected through tracing and isolation.

“The patients are under treatment and in stable condition in an isolated health facility,” the ministry said.

More cases

President Paul Kagame in his address to the nation Friday said that the number of coronavirus cases is expected to rise further as tracing of contacts continues to detect and treat confirmed patients.

“We made the difficult decision to stop commercial passenger flights and restrict movement over land borders. This has helped to ensure that no new cases are imported into Rwanda. We suspended internal transport to prevent the virus from spreading around the country,” he said, adding that the virus is highly contagious and there is not yet an adequate understanding of it.

“It's our responsibility to ensure that the virus does not spread. This is why I want to call upon everyone to continue following the directives of the government.”

President Kagame said that relevant institutions were working on a social protection plan, to support the most vulnerable families affected by the lockdown measures.