Sudanese Minister of Health, Akram Ali Al-Tom, announced on Thursday that his country had recorded 67 new cases of the respiratory disease caused by the novel Coronavirus. the pandemic had spread in 13 states, raising total cases to 422.
States affected
13 out of 18 (Khartoum, White Nile, River Nile, El Gezira, Red Sea, Central Darfur, Sennar, East Darfur, Gedaref, West Kordofan, South Darfur and North Kordofan).
Borders
All land borders closed. On 20 April, Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) extended the closure of Sudanese airports for international and domestic flights until 20 May 2020. This excludes scheduled cargo flights; humanitarian aid and technical and humanitarian support flight; flights of companies operating in the oil fields; and evacuation flights for foreign nationals. UNHAS and UNAMID passenger flight have also been grounded but cargo flights are operational.
Containment measures
Khartoum State under three-week lockdown starting 18 April. Bridges linking Omdurman and Khartoum North are closed. People can access neighbourhood shops, bakeries and pharmacies between 6:00 am and 1:00 pm daily. In addition, the Ministry of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) has suspended prayers in mosques and church services in the state during the three-week lockdown period. Some states in Darfur have closed borders with neighbouring states and have imposed curfews to limit the movement of people in attempts to curb the spread of COVID-19.
currently Situation
Sudan recorded its first COVID-19 case on 14 March 2020. Since then, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) has confirmed 422 infections, including 31 deaths. About 95 per cent of all confirmed cases are in Khartoum State.
In advance of the three-week lockdown in Khartoum state, authorities targeted 600,000 urban poor households for a one-off assistance during the lockdown period. The Government is supporting 400,000 households, of whom 300,000 households have been provided with food parcels from WFP and other supplies including soap from UNICEF and UNHCR.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) has been assessing options to support citizens during the COVID-19 lockdown. They have developed a plan to scale up financing to the health sector; provide cash transfers to 80 per cent of the population (30 million people) at 500 SDG per person per month—mainly informal sector workers whose livelihoods will be affected by lockdown; civil service salary reform to support those on fixed incomes; support to the private sector through tax and custom exemptions; and possible support for exporters and other productive industries affected by exchange rates and depreciation.
UN, government and humanitarian partners continue efforts to prevent and respond to COVID-19. A COVID-19 Country Preparedness and Response Plan (CPRP), organized around eight pillars, is currently being implemented in support of the Sudanese government.