JUBA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has ordered the closure of schools and introduced a two-week shift-based working system for civil servants in the face of a worsening heatwave.
Learning institutions will be closed effective Friday for two weeks while government institutions will operate on a half-day basis, Minister of Environment and Forestry Josephine Napwon Cosmas announced Thursday.
"The ministry of education is to close schools for a period of two weeks or more, and they will reopen when cool temperatures return," the minister said in Juba, the capital.
"The ministry of education will consider opening schools in the second week of March instead of February based on the weather changes, and government institutions should operate at least on a half-day basis for the next two weeks," She said.
South Sudan is experiencing a major heatwave, with temperatures reaching record-breaking levels. The highest temperatures for the next seven days are expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius.
The country faced a similar situation in March 2024, forcing the closure of schools for two weeks. ■
