A health professional shows reporters the coronavirus testing tool kits in Juba on Tuesday, Mar 3, 2020 | Credit | Woja Emmanuel/Eye Radio.

The national legislature has asked the newly reconstituted High-Level Taskforce on COVID-19 to expand its testing exercise to other States.

South Sudan currently has one testing machine situated in Juba, which health experts say is overwhelmed by the rising numbers of coronavirus.

Earlier this month, Nimule Border Point authorities acknowledged that they received one testing machine that was yet to be installed.

Among other states where people have tested positive of the virus are Eastern Equatoria, Unity, and Warrap.

According to the head of the Information Committee at the national legislature, with such confirmed cases of the pandemic, the virus has already reached the grassroots.

Hon. Paul Yoane appealed to the new taskforce to embark on testing exercise in the states for the locals there to know their statuses.

“They shouldn’t limit the testing only to one State or in Juba, they should expand, take another machine to Bhar-el-Ghazal region, take another machine to Upper Nile and some accessible areas should be reached so that people are tested and the impact of this disease is known,” the legislator told Eye Radio on Thursday.

“My advice to the taskforce is, let them not concentrate on Juba only.”

On Wednesday, South Sudan confirmed an additional 134 coronavirus cases, raising the country’s tally to 481 with 6 recoveries and 6 deaths.