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Sudan relaxes Covid-19 restrictions

Wednesday July 08 2020
khartoum

Sudanese youth sit outside close pharmacies in Khartoum on June 18, 2020. The government has eased movement restrictions meant to control the spread of Covid-19. PHOTO | AFP

By MAWAHIB ABDALLATIF

Khartoum

Sudan has announced a gradual easing of Covid-19 restrictions by reopening public offices and allowing civil servants back to work from Wednesday.

The capital Khartoum and a number of other Sudanese cities have been under total lockdown for nearly three months as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus infections.

The Minister of the Presidency Affairs Omar Manis said in a press statement that the working hours in State institutions will be from 8am to 3pm. The government, however, said all public officers must wear face masks and sanitise as guided by the Health ministry.

The Supreme Committee for Health Emergencies, the apex organ in charge of Covid-19 control in Sudan, has also eased curfew hours in the capital from 6pm to 6am. Last month, movement had been allowed from 6am to 3pm.

Further, the Committee said it would allow the return-to-work for public and private institutions, reopening of markets, and travel between Sudanese states with the link bridges remaining closed during the curfew.

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Additionally, the local government in Khartoum State, which comprises Khartoum city and the neighbouring Omdurman, stressed the need to adhere to social distancing, wearing face masks, and washing or sanitising of hands, warning that lack of adherence to the health guidelines would force yet another lockdown.

Sudanese authorities have also directed that employers plan to have staff work on a rotation basis to ensure only about 30 percent to 50 percent of workers are in the office buildings.

EDUCATION

Last week, the Ministry of Education announced that school would reopen for pupils sitting the basic stage certificate exams on July 10,  which had been postponed due to the pandemic.

Sudan has registered 9,997 cases of Covid-19 with 620 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic.

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