South Sudan Vice President, Riek Machar and his wife Angelina Teny, who serves as Defence minister, have all been taken into isolation after they both tested positive to coronavirus.
Officials said in a statement on Monday, that “a number of his office staff and bodyguards” had also tested positive for Covid-19.
Machar who is also vice-chairperson of the Covid-19 Task Force in the country announced that he would proceed on self-isolation for 14 days in his residence rather than in a health facility.
Since recording its index case on April 4, South Sudan has recorded 347 cases of coronavirus, four recoveries and six deaths,
Last week authorities reported two Covid-19 cases in a camp outside the capital Juba, raising concerns among humanitarians that the infection could devastate the crowded settlement.
“We are particularly concerned that there have been a couple of positive cases in the camp here just outside Juba. There are tens of thousands of internally displaced persons living there, so they live in quite cramped conditions,” James Reynolds, from the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Sudan, said in a statement.
He added that measures such as social distancing and regular hand washing would not be easily applicable in the camp.