JUBA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan Ministry of Health on Thursday confirmed 16 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 90.
Richard Lako, director-general for planning, budget and research in the ministry of health who is also a member of technical secretariat for a high-level task force on COVID-19, said the latest cases are from 162 samples which were tested in the last 24 hours.
Lako said the latest cases are South Sudanese citizens who have been approved to travel to states from Juba, noting that some of them are contacts of the previously confirmed cases.
"The public health laboratory released 162 samples results, out of which 16 cases tested positive, 22 are to be rerun and 124 tested negative," Lako told reporters in Juba.
Lako said a full-contact tracing operation is underway and called on all the contacts to cooperate with the country's rapid response teams.
Meanwhile, the government has eased rules and directives which were issued as part of measures to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Under the rules, the government has revised curfew time which will now start at 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. effective Friday instead of the previous 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
"Restaurants and bars will re-open during non-curfew hours but should strictly observe social distancing," said the presidency in a statement issued in Juba.
It said shops and stores will also re-open but the sellers and buyers should observe social distancing and allow a maximum of at least five persons in a shop or store at a time.
The government said motorcycle taxis and rickshaws transport will resume with only one passenger on a motorcycle and two passengers for rickshaws but both rider and passengers must wear masks.
The government said internal travels by means of land, water and air shall resume soon as well as regional flights and road transport. It said details of these will be released by the high level taskforce on COVID-19.
South Sudan has so far recorded no death and two recoveries from the deadly respiratory disease amid concern over the increasing number of cases this week.
The east African nation has closed all learning institutions, imposed a night curfew and introduced movement and transport restrictions as part of measures to contain the spread of the respiratory disease. Enditem
