PHOTO: May of the Counties in Eastern Equatoria state

A member of parliament has called for complete closure of all South Sudan’s border points to prevent the entry of coronavirus disease.

Honorable Grace Sablag is representing Ikotos County in the Transitional National Legislative Assembly.

Ikotos County in Eastern Equatoria state borders Uganda to the south.

Uganda yesterday confirmed 11 more cases of the coronavirus disease also known as Covid-19, lifting the total to 44.

South Sudan is now the only east African country to remain free of the virus after Burundi announced two cases yesterday.

A week ago, President Salva Kiir ordered the closure of all international airports and border points as a preventive measure against Covid-19.

But according to Honorable Grace Sablag-the area MP of Ikotos County, some border points remain porous.

One of them is the Sertinya border point in her constituency which is operational despite the presidential order.

MP Sablag says more than twenty vehicles from Uganda reportedly entered into South Sudan through the border point on Monday.

This, she notes, exposes the country to the risk of registering the first case of Covid-19.

The legislator is now appealing to the Covid-19 taskforce to enforce the closure of all border points to keep the country safe.

“My concern is Ikotos County is having borders and we have almost four entries to South Sudan from Uganda,” Hon Grace said.

“The main one is the Sertinya border and the border up to this moment I am talking with you, vehicles are using the border. People are coming and it’s a health risk to the people of that county.”

“The high-level taskforce is only mentioning the Nimule border and in the case of Eastern Equatoria the border is not only Nimule.”

“The high-level taskforce needs to mention the names of borders that need to be closed because without mentioning it and only saying Nimule border.”

“The people will think the other borders are open because right now vehicles are coming and they said trucks only bringing food and items and with only two-driver and turn boy.”

Over the weekend, the Covid-19 taskforce said people entering the country illegally will be tested, quarantined for 14 days and taken to court.

This came after reports emerged of some South Sudanese from the affected countries evading health checkpoints and disappearing into communities.