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Sudan Situation Report, 4 June 2020

Countries
Sudan
Sources
OCHA
Publication date
Origin
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HIGHLIGHTS###
  • As of 2 June 2020, there are 5,499 people confirmed to have COVID-19 in Sudan, including 314 fatalities
  • COVID-19 is reported in all of Sudan's 18 states. The majority of people with confirmed COVID-19 are in Khartoum State.
  • The Government of Sudan will initiate a Family Support Programme to provide direct cash transfers each month to vulnerable Sudanese families.
  • Continuing economic crisis and COVID-19 containment measures are leading to increasing staple food prices.
  • UN and partners provide over 5,000 people affected by violence in Kadugli with assistance.
Federal Ministry of Health confirms 5,499 cases as of 2 June###
  • First case: 14 March 2020

  • Total cases: 5,499 (as of 2 June 2020)

  • Total deaths: 314

  • States affected: All 18 states

  • Schools: Closed (8,375,193 learners affected).

  • Borders/flights: All land borders closed. Sudan extends the closure of airports for international and domestic passenger flights until 15 June 2020. This excludes scheduled cargo, humanitarian aid and technical and humanitarian support flights; airlines operating in the oil fields; and evacuation flights for foreign nationals.

  • Containment measures: Khartoum State has extended its lockdown for another two weeks from 3 - 18 June. Bridges linking Omdurman and Khartoum North are closed. People can access neighbourhood shops, bakeries and pharmacies between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m. 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 Region have closed borders and have imposed curfews to limit the movement of people.

Situation

Sudan recorded its first COVID-19 case on 14 March 2020. Since then, the Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed that 5,499 people contracted the virus, including 314 who died from the disease. The majority of the confirmed cases are in Khartoum State. In advance of the three-week lockdown in Khartoum State, authorities targeted 600,000 urban poor for a one-off assistance, including food parcels and other essential supplies during the emergency period. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) has also been working on different options to support the population during the COVID-19 lockdown. Among the activities, the MoFEP developed a plan to scale up financing to the health sector and provide cash transfers to 80 per cent of the population--more than 30 million people--most of them informal sector workers whose livelihoods will likely be affected by the restrictions. Each person will receive SDG500,00 (around US$9,00) per month, according to the Ministry. In addition, the MoFEP informed it would carry out a civil service salary reform to help those on fixed incomes; cushion the private sector through tax and customs exemptions; and it is also evaluating possible support for exporters and other productive industries affected by exchange rates and depreciation.

The Federal Government, the United Nations (UN) and humanitarian partners have joint their efforts to prevent and respond to the COVID-19 outbreak in Sudan. A COVID-19 Country Preparedness and Response Plan (CPRP), organized around eight pillars, is currently being implemented by UN agencies, NGOs and other partners in support to the Sudanese Government-led response.

Immediate priorities include:

  • Strengthening the state coordination mechanisms.

  • Improvement and scale up of isolation centres at the state level.

  • Scaling up the risk communications and infection, prevention and control activities.

  • Scaling up testing capacity and prevent delays.

  • Strengthening of screening and quarantine facilities at points of entry.

  • Improvement in contact tracing.

Official sources:

Sudan Federal Ministry of Health

WHO Sudan Twitter

Other sources:

COVID-19 Educational Disruption and Response, by UNESCO

COVID-19 World Travel Restrictions, by the Emergency Division of the World Food Programme (WFP)

Global COVID-19 Airport Status, by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.