This was during the ongoing inspection by local authorities in City of Kigali and Police to assess how various services are delivered in compliance with the directives.

The closed restaurants and bars are among the eight hospitality establishments operating in Amashyirahamwe building, which were penalized for undermining the health and safety directives against the pandemic.

Those closed and fined hospitality establishments are Resto Bar Chez Jeanine, where many people were found drinking and watching football; Bar-Resto Chez Justin; Bar-Restaurant Chez Nyirahabimana Felecitha; and Bar chez Thamari Nyirabaruta.

“What is unfortunate is that the owners of the affected restaurants and bars were first warned, but when the inspection team came back later, they found nothing had changed; bars were open and many people gathered inside drinking,” said Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvestre Twajamahoro, the Police spokesperson for City of Kigali.

This was the second time that Bar-Restaurant Chez Nyirahabimana Felecitha has been closed and owner penalized for disregarding the guidelines.

Each of the closed bars and restaurants was also fined Rwf150, 000 as stipulated in the City of Kigali directives.

CIP Twajamahoro warned that the inspection is continuous and anyone caught disregarding the COVID-19 prevention directives will be penalized accordingly.