RWANDA TURNS THE TABLES ON EUROPE’S AND AMERICA’S ANTI AFRICA EBOLA MEASURES
(Posted 22nd October 2014)
Rwanda has with immediate effect introduced new rules for visitors from America and Spain coming to the country. Cognizant of the fact that active Ebola outbreaks are ongoing in both countries must visitors coming from there or having traveled through the two countries, after the first screening at the airport on arrival, report for at least 21 days, or until the end of their visit if concluded earlier, to the authorities by phone between 07.00 hrs and 20.00 hrs.
Besides giving their itinerary details on arrival they must dial 114 and give a personal health update, though it is not known how it can be monitored independently if a person actually does tell the truth or might not conceal a slight fever or headache.
Visitors from the Ebola affected countries in West Africa continue to be denied entry into Rwanda, being Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal, until the outbreaks there – Senegal was yesterday given the all clear by the WHO – are considered over.
This is the first time that visitors from America and Spain are actually treated differently from the standard format of screening which has been going on across Eastern Africa, where ALL arriving passengers must now fill medical questionnaires / forms and then have their temperature checked, to allow for an early detection of anyone arriving seriously ill. In fact, in both Uganda and Kenya were arriving passengers taken into isolation, as was at least one known case a few weeks ago in Kigali, only to be given the all clear when the tests came back negative for Ebola.
The Rwandan decision makes it clear that the way visitors from Africa, especially those who are from Eastern and Southern Africa where there is no Ebola outbreak, are treated in European and American airports, regularly shown on the global news channels, can only be tolerated for so long before some level of equitable response is formulated, as is now the case in Rwanda. Stories that teachers in Britain, who visited Kenya recently, were boycotted by parents who threatened to keep their kids from attending school, can only be described as naked paranoia and are here in Africa regularly perceived as premeditated racism. Well done Rwanda!
