COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan

On 14 March, South Sudan suspended flights to countries affected by coronavirus.[2] On 20 March, classes in all schools and universities were suspended until 19 April, and Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi ordered the suspension of sporting, social, political, and religious gatherings for 6 weeks.[3] This was followed on 25 March by a nighttime curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.[4][5] On 27 March, around 500 people in quarantine from Sudan escaped in Renk, leading to northern Upper Nile State being placed under lockdown for 14 days.[6] From 25 March, after the coronavirus reached Mali, to 5 April 2020, South Sudan was the largest country by area without any confirmed cases of COVID-19.

On 5 April, the first case of COVID-19 in the country was confirmed in a 29-year-old patient, a United Nations worker who arrived on 28 February from the Netherlands[4] via Ethiopia.[7] South Sudan thus became the 51st African country (out of 54) to confirm a case.[4] The patient was quarantined at a UN facility and contact tracing efforts were undertaken.

The second case of COVID-19 was confirmed on 7 April; the patient was another female United Nations worker, aged 53, who arrived from Nairobi on 23 March and self-quarantined.[8] The third case on 9 April was also a female United Nations worker who had been in contact with the first patient.[9]

On 9 April, the Ministry of General Education announced it was preparing a distance learning program for primary and secondary school students via radio and television.[10] On 13 April, South Sudan suspended flights and public transportation between the states and between Juba and the states.[11]

Unlike the first cases, the fifth and sixth cases on 23 and 25 April were confirmed to be South Sudanese nationals.[12]

After 28 people tested positive on 28 April, the curfew was extended to be from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., all restaurants were only allowed to be takeout, and all passenger boda bodas were banned.[13]

South Sudan has a population of 14 million people, but only 4 ventilators.[4]

Although cases were still increasing, South Sudan began the process of reopening on 7 May. The curfew was decreased to 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., boda bodas were allowed to have one passenger and rickshaws two passengers, if both the driver and the passengers wore face masks, and shops were allowed to reopen with a maximum of five occupants at a time.[14] On 12 May, airports were reopened for local, regional, and international flights.[15]

On 14 May, South Sudan reported its first death from COVID-19.[16]

On 18 May, First Vice President Riek Machar announced he and his wife, Angelina Teny, had tested positive for the virus.[17] On 19 May 2020, Information Minister Michael Makue Loweth and all members of the nation’s 15-member coronavirus task force tested positive for COVID-19.[18] Another Vice President, Hussein Abdelbagi, the head of the COVID-19 Task Force, tested positive on May 27.[19] Vice President James Wani Igga announced he had tested positive on May 30.[20]