Coronavirus: South Sudan bans social gatherings

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA (AA) - South Sudan’s president on Monday banned all social gatherings, including sporting events, religious events, weddings and political activities, due to coronavirus fears.

Salva Kiir also temporarily postponed international conferences slated to take place in South Sudan.

“All planned social gatherings like sporting events, religious events, socio-cultural ones such as weddings, and political events must be postponed, Caution must be exercised to reduce and avoid crowding at places of work,” Kiir said at Cabinet swearing-in ceremonies of the nation’s transitional government of national unity in the capital Juba.

He added that workers sharing an office space must ensure they are seated at least one meter apart.

South Sudan is reportedly free of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world, but measures are currently underway to ensure it remains unaffected.

Over the last three months coronavirus has spread from China, where it first started, to Europe, the Americas, and now several African nations.

“We have directed security and law enforcement agencies to support the Health Ministry in enforcing isolation, self-quarantine, removing COVID-19 suspected cases, and relocating them to isolation centers,” he said.

Kiir said “travelers arriving in South Sudan from affected countries and areas with established local transmission will be self-quarantined for 14 days.”

“Non-essential travels to affected countries must be called off or postponed to a later date,” Kiir said.

“We have ordered restrictions on the movement of people, including declining to issue new visas, revoking visas and resident permits, and denial of admission at ports of entry,” he added.