Rwanda reopens land borders after 2 years of closure amid virus

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Rwanda on Monday reopened its land borders, ending two years of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Travel between Rwanda and its neighbors Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has been largely restricted to trade since the earliest days of the pandemic.

"Rwanda announced random COVID tests for those crossing our land borders. The cost of these tests are covered by the government of Rwanda. Travelers crossing the border are not charged for the random test," Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said on Twitter.

Kigali made the announcement on Saturday that the borders would reopen, as new COVID cases continue to drop. The East African nation also ended countrywide curfews that had been in place since the outbreak of the pandemic.

More than 60% of the country's population is fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Health Ministry.