Juba, South Sudan - February 21, 2025 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. Temperatures have been reaching record-breaking levels in the East African country, with highs for the next seven days expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius. 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 in Juba, the country's capital. The Ministry of Education will close schools for a period of two weeks or more and reopen when cool temperatures return, Napwon said. She added that the ministry will consider opening schools in the second week of March, while government institutions are expected to operate on a half-day basis for the next two weeks. With some students developing complications in the last few days due to the extreme heat, the country's health ministry has put a system in place to detect and respond to medical conditions related to the heatwave. Authorities have advised parents to keep all children indoors as temperatures are expected to continue to rise. The country faced a similar situation in March 2024, forcing the closure of schools for two weeks. The video shows: 1. Various of students after school 2. Residents sitting on ground 3. Residents walking on dirt road 4. Traffic 5. Various of houses, people walking under scorching sun [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]