10 Ugandan nationals have been arrested for illegally crossing the Nimule border crossing into South Sudan, police said.

In March, South Sudan closed Juba International Airport and all border entry points to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Captain Richard Clement, the Deputy Police Inspector at Nimule Town Council, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that the Ugandan nationals are being detained in Nimule where they were arrested, waiting to be arraigned.

“We arrested those people last week. Also, we gave them Form 13 so that they are tested by the hospital and after that we will take them to court so the court will be the one to decide on what next,” Richard said.

He added, “We will carry out security investigations but they have to be tested first and put under quarantine for 14 days.”

The number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in South Sudan reached 994, while Uganda has so far recorded 317 cases of COVID-19.