UNMISS donates ambulance to COVID-19 task force in Kodok, Upper Nile State

UNMISS handing over a vehicle to the COVID-19 task force in Kodok, Upper Nile State

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan has handed over a vehicle to the COVID-19 task force committee in Kodok in Upper Nile State. It will be used as an ambulance and will facilitate the movement of local health workers.

“This car will help us and our citizens in in a big way. Without a vehicle, it has been difficult for us to manage emergency cases here,” said Olao Alwong, director general at the ministry of health in the now defunct Fashoda State.

While no infections have been recorded in the Fashoda-Kodok area, the strategic location of the place makes local authorities nervous about what might come.

“We are near Malakal [the second biggest city of South Sudan] and they have cases of COVID-19. We also have many traders coming here from Sudan, so we are definitely at risk of exposure. What the task force is doing is to carry out awareness-raising sessions, with the assistance of local organizations, among our citizens. We have also been distributing face masks [most of which have been donated by UNMISS], but many people are still not complying with our guidelines,” Mr. Alwong laments.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan is by all means supporting state-led efforts to combat the COVID-19 by every means possible. The UN Mission is stepping up to support the local communities to curb the spread of th corona virus in Upper Nile state.

“We have started to produce face masks which have been distributed to the community, and now we are taking this opportunity to hand over one of our vehicles to the local authorities to help prevent an outbreak of the virus,” says Generose Nzeyimana, a representative from the peacekeeping mission.