Sudan Situation Report, 2 July 2020 - Sudan - Supply Chain Council of European Union

HIGHLIGHTS

As of 29 June 2020, there are 9,573 people confirmed to have COVID-19 in Sudan, including 602 fatalities
Donors pledged a package of financial support totalling over US$1.8 billion, including for social protection, development, COVID-19 response, and humanitarian aid
Concerns for the future of health services for about 55,000 people in Tawilla town, North Darfur, as the only health facility in the area lacks funds
See our OCHA Sudan: COVID-19 Containment Measures and Humanitarian Access Infographic
Humanitarian partners continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Sudan through eight pillars

Federal Ministry of Health confirms 9,573 cases as of 29 June

First case: 13 March 2020
Total cases: 9,573 (as of 29 June 2020)
Total deaths: 602
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 12 July 2020. This excludes repatriation flights; 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 until 29 June. Bridges linking Omdurman and Khartoum North are closed. People can access neighbourhood shops, bakeries and pharmacies between 06:00 and 15:00 daily. In addition, the Ministry of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) has suspended prayers in mosques and church services in the state during the 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 13 March 2020. Since then, WHO has confirmed that 9,573people contracted the virus, including 602 who died from the disease. The majority of the confirmed cases are in Khartoum State.

Vulnerable families to receive assistance through the Government’s Family Support Programme

To mitigate the adverse socio-economic impacts of COVID-19—with the lockdown and closure of non-essential businesses in many states—coupled with the economic crisis and rapidly rising food prices, the Government of Sudan will implement a Family Support Programme, which will provide support vulnerable families. The Government estimates that 65 per cent of the population live below the poverty line and the Family Support Programme will provide direct cash transfers each month to around 80 per cent of Sudanese families to support them through the challenging economic circumstances currently facing the country, safeguarding people at risk of slipping into extreme poverty. The multi-ministerial programme, led by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP), is expected to start in the second half of the year with financing from the Government of Sudan and partners.

Before COVID-19, about 9.3 million people were already in need of humanitarian support across Sudan. Years of conflict, recurrent climatic shocks and disease outbreaks continue to affect the lives and livelihoods of many Sudanese. Hundreds of thousands are food insecure and the country has high malnutrition rates. Because of the fragile economy, more and more people are unable to meet their basic needs, as high inflation continues to erode families’ purchasing power. An average local food basket takes up at least 75 per cent of household income.

Response

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.