Doctors dressed in Personal Protective Equipment as they treat coronavirus patients | Credit | Courtesy

The South Sudan Doctors’ Union protested against the Presidency’s decision to ease some lockdown restrictions, saying the situation remains critical.

This comes as the Presidency said it will begin to ease some lockdown restrictions including constraints on travel and trade, despite an increase in cases of coronavirus.

Covid-19 cases have risen to 90 after 16 new infections were confirmed last evening.

The doctors say easing restrictions would encourage transmission to areas where health professionals are not trained and where facilities are not available to quarantine positive cases.

“You can recall that the country has confirmed 90 COVID-19 cases in the last one month and most of them were from the local transmission. And therefore we recommend that the lockdown remains in place and further reinforced until transmission or number of new cases begin dropping,” said Dr. Anthony Garang-the acting Chairperson of the South Sudan Doctors’ Union.

The doctors called on the Presidency to review its decision because it “does not see any urgency in relaxing the rules and directives of the lockdown” when the country is experiencing an exponential rise in new cases.”