Juba, South Sudan,
June 10, 2021 – Child rights international advocacy organization Save the Children has suspended operation after one of its staff members tested positive for SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The organization sent staff home on Wednesday morning according to confidential sources who spoke to Nyamilepedia anonymously as were are not authorized to do so.
“We closed on Wednesday the 9th of June. The management said the day for work resumption will be communicated to employees,” the source said.
Save the Children’s office based in Hai Malakal a few meters away from Equity Bank appeared to be lousy Wednesday morning after staff members vacated the compound where they were seen murmuring for minutes before their departure.
The source could not disclose the identity of the infected employee but said all workers could be directed to go for compulsory testing.
“We were just told that someone got infected but the person was not identified. We have now started self-isolating and could be required to go for mandatory testing,” the source said.
Save the Children is one of the humanitarian organizations working in collaboration with the government of South Sudan to deliver life-saving support to the citizens and children in particular.
The closure of operation at the organization, which could have an enormous impact on the needy, came two weeks after the South Sudan government warned that it could demand compulsory COVID-19 vaccination certificates from employees working in both government and private sectors.
Over 10,000 people have been infected by the virus in South Sudan since its inception in April 2020 according to data from the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
South Sudan is among countries where COVID-19 vaccines are lacking due to inadequate financial and technical support to ensure its delivery and sustainability.
In May, the country sent back 72,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine after dumping another 60,000 doses that expired in April before it could be used.
The government has downsized the COVID-19 Rapid Response team in May citing a lack of funding to cater for their wages.
