Officials, guests interact freely at the State House, Juba –without observing MoH guidelines during a dinner to celebrate the signing of the Sudanese peace. August 31, 2020. Credit|Office of the President - Republic of South Sudan

The National Taskforce on Coronavirus has re-introduced tough lockdown measures after a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

All businesses in the country will shut down, except for those dealing with essential services like food, medicine and fuel.

The taskforce states that wearing of face mask is now mandatory and citizens must observe social distancing while avoiding handshake “due to the recent surge of the covid-19 pandemic in the country and around the globe and as a precautionary measure for all public and private sectors.”

As of Monday, the Ministry of Health has confirmed 54 new cases and one death, bringing the cumulative number of deaths to 66 and total tally to 4,160 confirmed cases in South Sudan.

In a move to contain the resurgence of the virus, the government has banned all social gatherings.

In a statement, the National Task Force said it has observed negligence in observing the coronavirus preventive measures.

The chairman of the National Taskforce and the Vice president in charge of service cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi, said the body has resolved to: “Ban on all gatherings such as sporting events -including Sunday church prayers, Salat al Juma Mosque prayers, funerals, wedding ceremonies and political events.”

The Taskforce also closed all businesses that attract crowds, which includes Shisha stalls, bars, night clubs, birthday parties, betting, cards and dominos.

The statement further ordered all pre-schools to close up, “including, universities and all other institutions of learning –except classes scheduled for examinations with the observation of strict preventive measures.”

Employers in both private and public sector have been advised to “make provisions to allow non-essential staff to stay home on paid leave or alternate their staff in shifts.”

Boda-bodas have been ordered to carry cargo or strictly one passenger wearing a face mask and public buses are permitted to take passengers to half capacity.

The Taskforce permitted rickshaws to carry only two passengers at a time and deliver cargo goods.