Ten ministers in South Sudan are now confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.
Information Minister Michael Makuei has told the BBC that all former members of the high-level task force on coronavirus - apart from the health minister - have tested positive for Covid-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.
But he has denied reports that President Salva Kiir - who was also a member of the team - had also tested positive.
It comes just days after first Vice-President Riek Machar announced he had tested positive alongside his wife, Defence Minister Angelina Teny.
They tested positive after coming into contact with a former member of the team, who has Covid-19.
All the ministers infected are now in self-isolation and the government says they are in good health.
Dozens of bodyguards and staff of the officials also tested positive and are quarantined.
South Sudan has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus cases in recent days with 481 confirmed cases and six deaths.
There are fears the virus could cause havoc in South Sudan, whose healthcare system is barely functioning following decades of conflict, while hundreds of thousands are living in camps for displaced people.
Latest Stories
-
Haiti’s PM Ariel Henry resigns as transitional council is sworn in
4 mins -
Unforgettable stories from Primary School English text books
5 mins -
Jodie Comer to star in 28 Days Later sequel
13 mins -
CAFCC: GH₵36k for Baba Yara Stadium usage was for GFA, not Dreams FC – NSA clarifies
20 mins -
‘Lost’ Gustav Klimt painting sells for €30m
20 mins -
CAFCC: Zamalek arrive in Kumasi ahead of second leg against Dreams FC
24 mins -
Megan Thee Stallion: Cameraman accuses rapper of ‘hostile’ workplace
24 mins -
I would rather invest GH₵50,000 in my soul than go for body enhancement – Celestine Donkor
38 mins -
Four interdicted headteachers transferred after GES probe
47 mins -
Plastic Pollution: UN leads negotiations for international legally binding instrument to regulate usage
51 mins -
UKGCC to tour Golden Exotics on May 2, 2024 as part of World Press Freedom Day
1 hour -
NIC leads insurance firms to donate blood as part of 2023 Blood Donation Campaign
1 hour -
EC sets May 7 to 27 for voters’ register update
1 hour -
Lekzy Decomic, Clemento Suarez, OB Amponsah, others honoured at Ghana Comedy Awards
2 hours -
Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction overturned
2 hours