BREAKING: Kiir refuses COVID-19 test as over 20 presidency staffers test positive for virus

JUBA – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has reportedly refused to test for coronavirus disease after the ministry of health informed the country’s top executive office that twenty of its staff members including Kiir most close aide, Ateny Wek Ateny, have the deadly virus, according to several sources at J1.

“The president is not well and he has refused to be tested for coronavirus because some 20 members of our team have the virus now,” the senior presidency official who refused to ben named told Sudans Post from Juba this evening on phone.

The presidency official further confirmed a report published by Sudans Post last week the presidential affairs minister Nhial Deng Nhial has contracted the virus, but said the senior government official was in good health and recovering.

“As we all may have heard, the minister in the office of the president has coronavirus. He had tested for the virus last week but what I understand now is that he is not feeling bad. He is doing good and maybe he is recovering,” the official added.

Separately, presidential press secretary Ateny Wek Ateny confirmed in an interview with Radio Tamazuj that that 20 people among presidency staffers have tested positive for the virus, but denied as ‘misinformation’ speculations surrounding President Kiir’s COVID-19 status.

“About 20 people tested positive for Covid-19 in the office of the president. These are junior personnel like drivers, cooks, and bodyguards. Two junior officials in the office, who have no contact with the president, also tested positive,” Ateny said.

“No, it is not true. That is all misinformation. It is fake. On his official website, there is nothing like that and he has not contracted coronavirus. The president was in the office this afternoon and just went back home. He is okay and healthy,” he said.