President Salva Kiir and his staff get a thermal screening before entering his office at State House in January 2021 | Credit | Office of the President

A sub-committee of the national taskforce on coronavirus has issued warnings to government and private institutions against glossing over coronavirus preventive measures.

The Coronavirus Audit Committee said it will send teams to visit various offices to ensure recent lockdown measures are being implemented.

Two weeks ago, South Sudan re-introduced tough lockdown measures after a surge in coronavirus cases in the country.

The government has banned all social gatherings. It closed all businesses that attract crowds which include; Shisha stalls, bars, night clubs, birthday parties, betting, cards, and dominos.

Wearing of face mask is now mandatory and citizens must observe social distancing while avoiding handshakes.

But the sixth-member committee, chaired by the Incident Manager on Covid-19, Doctor Richard Lino Lako, has noticed that the public is not complying to the lockdown directives.

It recommended punitive measures against non-compliance.

A statement issued last week by the task force warned that any NGO that fails to comply with the order will be suspended and license withdrawn.

“This committee will be visiting government institution, private facilities and we will do our observations and make recommendations,” said Dr. Richard Lino Lako, chairperson, Covid-19 Audit committee.

He added that government institutions, undersecretaries and executive directors will also face suspension if they violate the lockdown measures.

The taskforce further threatened to hand over to the police anyone who fails to respect the directive.

“If you wear face mask and social distance, nobody will come to you,” Dr. Lako stressed.

The committee directed security agencies to ensure strict enforcement of lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the virus.