Doctors’ Union Criticizes The Presidency For Relaxing COVID-19 Restrictions

The South Sudan Doctors Union [SSDU] has criticized the presidency, the includes President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, for relaxing COVID-19 restrictions despite an increase in the number of positive cases across the country.

The head of the South Sudan Doctors’ Union says preventative measures should even be toughened, not relaxed. South Sudan have people who have cultures of staying together or playing dominos you need how best to trace them, Dr. Anthony Garang, Chairperson of the union saying the government made a blunder since the country is still recording unprecedented number of new COVID 19 cases every day.

“Such measures are usually eased when the numbers are seen to be dropping but [at] a time when we are experiencing new cases, we need to review the measures and strengthen them so that people comply,’ Dr. Garang said.

Government could have deployed law enforcement personnel to ensure people observe social distancing rules and wear masks without abusing citizens. Dr. Garang said.

He urges the COVID 19 High-Level Taskforce to include health experts on the taskforce to ensure expert opinions are considered when making decisions.

“There are times you need to listen to experts,” the doctor told The Insider.

He says health professionals can be brought onboard. “we have infectious disease physicians who have been looking after the people all this time before COVID-19.” 

Dr. Garang said the health experts should be allowed to contribute because COVID-19 is a national emergency. He says South Sudan’s health system is fragile and would easily be overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.

With positive cases being reported across the country, Garang said the government should expedite training of health workers in the states to prepare them to handle the pandemic.

Dr. Thuou Loi, spokesperson for the health ministry, said the number of COVID-19 cases could be higher than what is recorded given that more than 80 percent of reported cases among communities are asymptomatic. He said it’s not the time to be relaxing preventative measures.

“Simply because we are not seeing decrease in the cases, we are seeing increase.”

“So, to relax the preventive measures at this stage there is not scientific justification for it that’s why I personally posted on my page that this may lead to a full-blown outbreak in the Republic of South Sudan.” Dr. Loi told The Insider.

He said the taskforce should wait until there is scientific evidence proving the pandemic is over or is decreasing before they lift the restrictions.

South Sudan has more than 290 confirmed COVID-19 cases, four deaths and four recoveries.