The government has urged the general public to remain calm and observe the public health emergency measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The call comes after South Sudan on Sunday announced its first confirmed case of the COVID-19.
The patient is a 29-year-old female UN staff who arrived from the Netherlands via Addis Ababa on February 28.
The First Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar who is also the deputy chairperson of the High-Level Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic urged the public not to panic as the patient is currently in isolation and in good health.
“The Government of the Republic of South Sudan seizes this opportunity to reassure the public to remain calm,” Dr. Machar said after announcing the confirmed case.
“The High-Level Task Force has put in place relevant public health measures over the past two weeks. Social distancing is the only way we can minimize the risk of contracting and transmitting the disease. The government urges members of the public to strictly observe the rules of social distancing.”
He added that there should be no physical contact between individuals, no handshakes, and no hugging.
“Keep two meters distance between two individuals, wash hands regularly with soap and water, and stay at home,” the FVP appealed.
For his part, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in South Sudan, David Shearer said the UN is working cooperatively with the Task Force to ensure the crisis is contained.
“As the patient has been in the country for nearly five weeks way longer the 14 days, we need to check where that person has been both to ascertain the people that she has come in contact with-perhaps they have got the virus, but also to make sure that we don’t ensure anything more further is passed on”
“It is important we make a tracing of everything that’s going on,” Mr. Shearer emphasized.
South Sudan is one of the last countries to confirm the virus that has spread to nearly all countries in the world.
In Africa, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stands at 6, 420 with 236 deaths while globally, 1, 133, 758 cases have been confirmed as of yesterday with 62, 784 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.