Pierre Mahiraguha, a vendor at the Kimironko market wears a handmade "kitenge" cloth mask as he attempts to protect against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 17, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

KIGALI -- Rwanda's Ministry of Health will on Thursday launch a COVID-19 street testing survey in the capital city here and at its entry points to probe the COVID-19 situation in the city, a senior health official said Wednesday.

The testing will be random and Kigali has been chosen to do the survey due to mass movement in the city, Rwandan Minister of State in charge of Primary Healthcare Tharcisse Mpunga said during a news program of Rwanda Television.

The testing will provide factual information about the COVID-19 situation in Kigali and necessary response measures, he said.

He appealed to residents to cooperate with health workers, saying the survey aims to test 5,000 people staying in the city in the past one or two weeks.

The health ministry on Wednesday reported 17 new cases, including seven in Kigali. So far, the central African country has registered 1,042 confirmed cases in total, including 480 recoveries and three deaths.