COVID-19: Re-opening of schools postponed in Khartoum state

In a meeting yesterday in the Republican Palace, the High Committee for Health Emergencies decided to postpone the re-opening of the schools for three more weeks in the state of Khartoum as the second wave of COVID-19 infections continues.

Yesterday's meeting was chaired by Sovereign Council member Siddig Tawir. Earlier this year, the opening of the school year was postponed in September because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sudan. 

In the meeting, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, Tamador Abdelkarim, explained that schools in the state of Khartoum will remain closed because of the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also explained that the decision was based on statistics from the Ministry of Health and outputs from workshops organised by the ministry.

With regards to other states, the undersecretary explained that decisions on the re-opening of schools will be made by each state government individually after consultations with the ministries of Education and Health. This includes decisions on health requirements to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and workers in educational institutions.

The city of Khartoum is the hardest hit by the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the country. This week, doctor and member of the Khartoum Health Emergency Committee, Bushra Hamed, called the health situation in the capital “extremely critical”. The vast majority of COVID-19 infections, 78 per cent, are concentrated in the city.

The Ministry of Education proposed to re-open elementary and secondary schools, but Hamed recommends that schools, universities, and gathering places should remain closed as long as the health situation does not improve.

COVID-19 statistics

In an epidemiological report issued yesterday, the Ministry of Health recorded 384 new COVID-19 cases, 12 deaths, and 160 recoveries on Monday and Tuesday.

This brings the total number of cases since the outbreak of the pandemic to 20,468 and a total of 1,319 deaths. The total number of recoveries has reached 11,673.

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