Makuei did not say “there is no coronavirus” in South Sudan – official
South Sudan’s Minister of Information Michael Makuei Lueth speaking ton SSBC in his office in January 2019 (Photo credit: SSBC)
May 12, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan information minister Michael Makuei Lueth did not downplay the presence of coronavirus in the country and he was quoted out of context by social media users, a senior government official said Tuesday.
South Sudan’s deputy information minister Baba Medan told the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) that reports on social media that Makuei downplayed the presence of coronavirus by saying “coronavirus is not here in South Sudan” were not true.
Activists on the social media circulated a video showing the information minister urging people to go to work after saying South Sudan is free of coronavirus. Makuei went on in the video to threaten that those who would not attend to their work station will be fired.
“South Sudan is free of coronavirus so people have to work,” Makuei said.
Speaking to SSBC today, Baba Medan who is also a former governor of the defunct Buma state said Makuei was quoted out of context and that the video was in March before the government could announce the first confirmed case.
“The reports on social media that Hon. Michael Makuei said there is no coronavirus in the country are not true. The video in question was actually taken in March before the COVID-19 could reach the country,” he said.
“The minister was only urging civil servants to come to work when someone is not feeling bad,” he added.
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