The United States government says it has committed $13.1 million to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 outbreak in South Sudan.
On April 16, the United States announced $5.1 million, in addition to $8 million announced on March 27.
“The United States is the world's leader in health and humanitarian assistance, and we have long provided this assistance to the people of South Sudan. We were on the front lines in the fight against Ebola, we support countries in their battles against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and we are providing the resources and expertise to lead the global response to COVID-19,” Tom Hushek, the US Ambassador to South Sudan said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of State, the US is providing new life-saving support by coordinating with the government of South Sudan, international humanitarian partners, and other organizations to identify priority areas for response.
These funds, it added, include $11.5 million in USAID International Disaster Assistance and $1.6 million in humanitarian assistance to support COVID-19 response efforts for refugees in South Sudan through the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
Through this assistance, USAID will reportedly support case management to strengthen clinical care while minimizing the risk of onwards transmission to others, infection prevention and control to prevent and control infections in health-care facilities and expansion of water, sanitation and hygiene programs, among other programs.
“In addition to these new funds and activities, USAID’s programs in South Sudan are implementing best practices to protect their staff, beneficiaries, and the general population, including through promoting proper hand washing, maintaining safe distance, and conducting work remotely when and where possible,” it further said.
South Sudan has so far recorded four cases of the new coronavirus.