A man has been quarantined in Malakal town in Upper Nile State over suspected coronavirus infection, an official said.

Dr. Angok Gordon, the Incident Manager for Coronavirus at the Ministry of Health, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that humanitarian workers in Malakal reported a suspected case of coronavirus.

He further said blood samples have been taken from the suspected case and sent to Juba labs for examination.

"The suspected person is working with one of the humanitarian organizations in Malakal. We don’t have further details because we haven’t yet received the form," Dr. Angok said.

The health official pointed out that the man complained of cough and cold in what doctors said was symptomatic of the new coronavirus.

“Samples have been taken and we are still waiting for the results,” he explained.

Angok said the country is still free of the virus, noting that some measures are in place in Juba to prevent the virus from entering the country.

He, however, complained over lack of proper training on handling the cases of coronavirus in the states, citing the political vacuum.

On Monday, South Sudan banned major public events due to the looming threat of coronavirus.

Globally, the virus has infected almost 180,000 people and killed at least 7,176, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).