South Sudan lacks established facilities to quarantine arrivals for 14 days in Juba, the undersecretary of the ministry of health has said.
Researchers say the average incubation period for the Covid-19 period is about five days, confirming that the 14-day quarantine period being used by most health authorities across the globe is “appropriate”.
South Sudan has got one center used by the government for screening suspected cases of coronavirus.
The 24-bed Infectious Diseases Unit is established in December 2018 as part of the national emergency preparedness and response efforts.
The unit, which is housed within the Dr. John Garang Diagnostic Center, is established to safely isolate and care for patients with highly infectious diseases including those with suspected Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) while they await laboratory confirmation.
It was constructed by WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
The unit was expected to also serve as a training and simulation facility to build national capacity in the management of infectious diseases.
Last week, the governments introduced strict measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic from spreading into South Sudan.
In a presidential order issued on Friday, the government ordered the closure of schools and universities for a month.
President Salva Kiir also banned all social gatherings, sporting events, religious events, weddings, and political activities.
Dr. Makur Koryom revealed that the country lacks quarantine facilities where entrants can be kept for the mandatory 14 days.
As a result, Dr. Koryom disclosed that those who test negative upon arrival will be asked to self-isolate in their houses.
“The facility we have is the hospital and it’s only for those who have symptoms. So somebody who doesn’t have the symptoms cannot be taken to a quarantine center which is for treatment.
“Those who have symptoms or who are suspects, we remove them from the community, admit and take samples for testing, once we get the results back, we discharge them if the results are negative or they take treatment if they are positive.”
“You don’t expect us to pick people from the airport to that center that’s a hospital it’s not just a place to self-quarantine.”