South Sudan’s lifts Covid-19 restrictions, travelers to present vaccination cards

Dr. John Rumunu. (Photo: Radio Tamazuj)

The South Sudan National Covid-19 Taskforce on Sunday lifted all Covid-19 restrictions and issued guidelines for travelers in and out of the country.

Addressing the fortnightly press conference at the Public Health Emergency Operation Center in Juba, the director general of the Preventive Health Service in the national health ministry, Dr. John Rumunu, said all people traveling into the country should present Covid-19 vaccination cards before they are allowed entry.

“On inbound travelers, the guidance we have is that a person coming into the country must show evidence of full vaccination with the Covid-19 vaccine. We don’t ask for a negative PRC test result,” he said. “For outbound travelers, we still maintain that people should adhere to the guidance from the country of their destination however outbound travelers should also show evidence of full vaccination.”

Dr. Rumunu also revealed that people working in public places, including hotels and restaurants among others, should as well present vaccination cards. He added that any person intending to organize a mass gathering must request permission.

The health official said the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions is in line with what is happening globally and regionally.

“Most of the measures we now have in place are consistent with what is happening globally and also regionally we want to be in sync with what is happening in the region but our epidemiological situation indicates that it is time we ease some of the public health and social measures,” Rumunu said.

He stated that the Covid-19 infection rate has been constantly dropping with a positivity yield of 1 percent over the last two weeks, and cumulative cases of 18,313 confirmed cases since the outbreak of the global pandemic in South Sudan in March 2020.

According to Rumunu, South Sudan only has 60 active cases with no critical or severe cases, 18,115 recoveries, and 138 cumulative deaths.