Rwanda on Tuesday hardened coronavirus-related restrictions, including closing schools, to combat a rise in coronavirus cases. The East African country has been broadly successful in containing the pandemic but has been battling flare-ups in recent weeks following the emergence of new variants. Schools will be closed in the capital Kigali and eight other virus hotspots for two weeks starting July 1. Restaurants will be limited to takeaway service while both private and public offices will be closed to everyone save for essential workers. Social gatherings including those held in homes and family visits have been prohibited. A nighttime curfew has been lengthened by an hour. International travel and tourism will however continue. "Citizens are reminded of the critical importance of complying with the health measures. Penalties will be applied for non-compliance," Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente said in a statement, adding that the fresh measures will be reviewed after a fortnight. The country of 13 million people has so far avoided the worst of the pandemic after it imposed one of Africa's first lockdowns and implemented a rigorous regime of testing and contact tracing. Last week, it banned weddings and prohibited all kinds of celebrations after hospital admissions shot up. The country has counted 37,384 cases of coronavirus of which slightly more than 400 have been fatal. A nationwide campaign aimed at vaccinating 60 percent of the population by next year has so far reached just 391,739 people, representing only three percent of the population. str-ho/gd