Third wave of COVID-19 infections in Sudan shuts schools in El Gedaref

All schools have been closed in Sudan’s El Gedaref state since yesterday and will remain shut until further notice. The state Ministry of Education said that this decision was because of a third wave of COVID-19 and recommended by the technical Committee for Health Emergencies.

Sudan’s federal  Ministry of Health announced the registration of three deaths and 45 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The Ministry stated that in Monday’s report, Khartoum recorded 31 new cases and two deaths. The report said that Northern State recorded two cases, while White Nile State has recorded seven confirmed cases. Khartoum has so far recorded 988 deaths while the total number of active cases in Khartoum reached 571.

This brings the official total cumulative number of cases to 31,700, the number of deaths to 2,194, and the total number of those recovered to 25,451.

The Ministry of Health also stated that there were a number of active cases in care homes and two isolation centres in Dongola.

All primary and secondary schools in the localities of Port Sudan, Suakin, and Sinkat in the Red Sea state have been closed from the beginning of thisd month

The decision also called for increased social distancing in spaces such as mosques and churches, shortening the Friday sermon, and stressing the importance of precautionary health measures, such as masks.

In late March, authorities announced that face masks, disinfection, and social distancing are now mandatory in Sudan’s state institutions, schools, public transport, and all gathering places subject to overcrowding.