KIGALI, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Rwandan Ministry of Health on Monday said it has taken "stringent" measures to control the spread of COVID-19 in prisons after 13 cases were recorded at a prison in Rwamagana District, Eastern Province.

"In Rwamagana District, out of 39 patients who were recently tested after showing coronavirus symptoms such as high temperature and respiratory issues, 13 from Nsinda prison tested positive for the virus," Rwandan Health Minister Daniel Ngamije said on the national broadcaster Rwanda Television.

"As these inmates had not gone anywhere else, we saw it as a pointer to a large problem at the prison. It is in that regard that stringent measures have been taken to control, including mass testing for inmates and residents in surrounding areas," he said, adding that visits to inmates in all prisons are to be banned.

The central African nation on Monday reported 20 new cases and seven recoveries, bringing the total cases and total recoveries to 5,242 and 4,967 respectively.

Generally, the number of new daily confirmed cases of COVID-19 dropped but the virus is "still real," said the health minister.

The government is going to tighten measures in places with high concentration of people such as markets, parks and prisons until a vaccine is introduced, he said. Enditem

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