COVID-19: South Sudan presidential affairs minister has reportedly tested positive

JUBA – South Sudan’s minister of presidential affairs Nhial Deng Nhial is among four senior presidency officials who tested positive for coronavirus diseases on Wednesday, a senior presidential aide has told Sudans Post Thursday, hours after President Salva Kiir Mayardit’s Press Secretary Ateny Wek Ateny, said he had tested positive for the virus and isolating.

On Thursday afternoon, Ateny said in a brief social media Facebook statement that he was isolating for the 14-day duration recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) after a compulsory test result ordered for all officials working at President Salva Kiir’s office came back positive, adding that he had no symptoms of the virus.

“I have tested positive to COVID-19 having adhered to the mandatory test carried out by Dr. John  Garang Infectious Disease on orders from Office of the President,” Ateny said Thursday afternoon in the statement seen by Sudans Post.

Speaking to Sudans Post this evening, senior J1 aide said Presidential Affairs minister Nhial Deng Nhial has also tested positive for along with the executive director in the office of the president along with one journalist attached to the office of the president and which the senior presidential aide declined to name.

“The minister of presidential affairs, the executive director in the president’s office and a one guy working for the SSBC in the office of the president have tested positive for the coronavirus,” the official who refused to be named told Sudans Post from Juba this evening.

The presidency official further denied speculations that president Salva Kiir Mayardit has tested positive saying the two men had direct contacts with the president for the last time last week, but the president had a test that came back negative.

“They had contact with the president but that was last week and the president himself has taken COVID-19 test for the first time but that test has came back negative. So I think they contracted teh virus more recently and may be earlier this week,” the official further said.