By Garang Malak

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South Sudan on Thursday recorded its first Covid-19 death, the country’s High-Level Taskforce on Coronavirus confirmed.

The Taskforce, however, did not reveal the identity and details of the deceased.

“The Taskforce advises the public and families of the deceased due to Covid-19 infection, that burial is conducted according to strict protocols and guidelines by trained healthcare workers,” it said in a statement.

It added that the number of people in the country who have tested positive for the Covid-19 had risen to 231 following the confirmation of 28 new cases.

“The public health laboratory released 214 results, of these, twenty-seven South Sudanese and one Kenyan were confirmed positive including death, while 186 tests returned negative.”

“Of the confirmed cases, contacts were two, five alerts, one suspect and twenty from Juba Zone,” added the statement.

24 are five males and 4 females all aged between 6 and 60 years.

South Sudan recorded its first Covid-19 case on April 5, a 29-year-old female who arrived in the country Ethiopia on February 28.

Days after the confirmation, President Salva Kiir imposed restrictions including ban on all public gatherings, closure of all learning institutions, and enforcement of curfew, among other measures to prevent further spread.

Last week, different South Sudanese stakeholders criticised President Kiir for lifting Covid-19 cases, warning that country may experience a full blown out of the pandemic.

As of Thursday, all interstates movements had resumed.

Juba has also allowed resumption of both domestic and international flights.