Juba, South Sudan
March 17, 2022 —The government of the People Republic of China has donated three million face masks to South Sudan soldiers, who have been stranded in cantonment sites across the country for nearly three years as the revitalized peace agreement drags on.
In a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia, the medical surgical masks from China will be distributed to the yet-to-be graduated unified forces across the training centers, cantonment sites and barracks to protect themselves from Covid-19 pandemic.
There are at least 17 training centers and 25 cantonment sites in different parts of the country.
Amb. Hua Ning, the Chinese Ambassador in Juba, said the donation is part of China’s support to the peace process in South Sudan.
Facemasks, according to the World Health Organization, are recommended as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from travelling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the mask coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice.
This is mainly to control the spread of the novel coronavirus but medical experts said South Sudanese do not adhere to the public health guidelines due to either negligence or speculations that the disease doesn’t exist.
On 20th of February this year South Sudan’s Covid-19 taskforce confirmed cumulative tally at 16,930 since the outbreak of virus in 2019.
The public is also advised to regularly continue adhering to the social distancing and other anti-coronavirus precautions as the number of cases and new variants continue to surge globally.
In South Sudan, you can report any suspected cases of the virus to the nearest health Centre or call the toll free number: 6-6-6-6.
This will not be the first time the Chinese government has donated to various sectors in South Sudan. China has donated food items such as rice and also donated medical facilities and equipment.
