PHOTO: President Salva Kiir speaking at the funeral prayer of the brother to the late Dr. John Garang De Mabior on Friday in Juba - Photo by PPU March 14, 2020

President Salva Kiir has urged all South Sudanese to avoid greeting by handshakes as protective measures from contracting the deadly coronavirus.

The president said this while addressing the funeral prayer of the brother to the late Dr. John Garang De Mabior on Friday in Juba,

He appealed to all South Sudanese to remain vigilant as coronavirus spreads rapidly regionally and globally.

Kiir disclosed that there is nothing the government could do about the coronavirus, but advised the citizens that they should avoid greeting by handshakes.

“We can’t do anything about it, but what you need to do is avoiding greetings that involve handshakes or hugging. If it’s important greeting someone that involves contacts, then knock your elbows or foot,” said the president.

The president revealed that he first learned about the coronavirus case in Kenya after the minister of health briefed him.

“This sickness, I heard people talking about called coronavirus has been confirmed in Kenya. I have been updated by the minister of health that the person who tested positive traveled from the US via the UK, then to Nairobi,”

“Everything begins tough but ends up soft, it might have come tough but I believe it will end.”

Last month, the Ministry of Health announced that the government had procured five testing machines to be set up at the major airports and border points.

It has also trained four qualified technical teams to operate the system.

According to South Sudan’s ministry of health, so far, South Sudan has no coronavirus case.

However, neighboring Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have confirmed positive cases of coronavirus.

The World Health Organization has confirmed more than 92,000 cases of the virus of which more than 80,000 are in China.

More than 3,000 people have died globally, the vast majority in China.

According to the World Health Organization, people are advised to protect themselves from coronavirus by washing their hands frequently with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on their hands.

It stressed that someone must always maintain social distancing, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth,

The World Health body, advise that people must practice respiratory hygiene, this means covering their mouth and nose with bent elbow or tissue when cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.