The Sudanese Higher Committee for Health Emergencies on Tuesday announced the closure of universities and schools for one month to contain the spread of COVID-19, reported CGTN Africa.
“It has been decided to suspend study at all universities and schools for one month starting from the date of the decision,” the committee said in a statement.
The Sudanese committee has also banned the entry of passengers arriving directly from India or via other countries, through all crossings, who were in India during the past 14 days.
India’s total number of COVID-19 cases crossed 25 million on Tuesday, and there are concerns about the spread of a new, highly infectious B.1.617 variant, which has been classified by the World Health Organisation as a “variant of concern.”
The committee said that travelers coming from Egypt and Ethiopia would be re-tested. It has also decided to reduce the number of workers at different institutions, and ban mass social gatherings or other public activities at halls and clubs, and everything else that may increase the risk of the pandemic’s spread, the statement said. It has also made it mandatory for people to wear masks in markets, workplaces, and public transport.
The Sudanese committee warned of an expected fast spread of COVID-19, saying the virus caseload would exceed 100,000 during the first and second weeks of June if people fail to take the necessary measures.
According to the Sudanese health ministry’s statistics issued on Tuesday, Sudan has reported a total of 34,707 COVID-19 cases, including 1,116 deaths, so far. Health experts are expecting that real numbers to be much higher given the low rates of testing in the country.
The coronavirus pandemic has piled pressure on Sudan which is already witnessing a rocky political transition and struggling with economic woes following the ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
