Gov’t to reopen schools amid COVID-19 concerns

JUBA — South Sudan plans to reopen schools in May after being closed since February due to the coronavirus.

South Sudan shut down schools on 4 February as a measure to contain the virus, which has killed nearly 1, 14 people in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.

Minister for General Education, Awut Deng Achuil, said the Ministry will reopen schools in May amid the decline in the number of infections in the country.

“The Ministry of General Education with support from the National Taskforce on COVID-19 will reopen schools after recording steady decline in the spread of the virus in the country,” Deng told reporters in Juba on Monday.

Achuil plans to reopen all learning institutions on 3 May, 2021 after the COVID-19 tests conducted on various students show negative results.

“The first test on two classes containing over five 100 students indicated negative of COVID-19 and this has prompted the Ministry to reopen schools in May this year,” she said.

South Sudan launched its vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in the capital Juba on April 6 and about 947 health workers received the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine out of 4,000 targeted frontline health workers.