South Sudan imposes COVID-19 partial lockdown

Photo shows Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, the vice president for services cluster

By Simon Deng

South Sudan’s national taskforce on COVID-19 has issued a public order effecting a three-week partial lockdown.

The vice president for services cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, who also doubles as the chairman for the National taskforce on coronavirus pandemic said,

“The national taskforces on corona virus pandemic is hereby issuing public order dated 21/12/2021 to effect the partial lockdown measures which will remain in force until 10 January 2022,”

Akol was addressing journalists at his resident in Juba.

Akol said that the country has entered a third wave of the covid-19 outbreak, noting that the national taskforce is putting in place the necessary measures to prevent wide spread of COVID-19 across the country.

“The national taskforce is once again putting in place the necessary measures to prevent wide spread of covid-19 across the country as follows, imposing lockdown with effect from 21/12/2021 to 10/1/2022, warning the public to stop receiving dead bodies in numbers at the airport reception and burial,” added Akol

 “This shall only be attended by not more than 20 immediate relatives, authorized health facilities and travel terminals, residents are allowed to use the approved antigen based rapid diagnostic test for the purpose of screening, warning all public and private health facilities not to admit any COVID-19 patient or suspect they should instead alert the public health emergency operation centre,” he added.

Akol said that Juba city council and other town municipal councils should ensure that traders, hotels ,customers and general public  comply with environmental cleaning, adding that hygiene and sanitation, COVID-19 guidelines and lockdown measures must be complied with.