Sudan bans travellers from India, imposes other COVID-19 restrictions

India's total Covid-19 caseload topped 25 million on Tuesday, and there are concerns about the spread of a new, highly infectious B.1.617 variant, first found there.

Sudan on Tuesday banned travellers arriving from India and imposed new coronavirus restrictions including closing schools, as coronavirus cases rise.

"Entry will be prevented for all travellers arriving directly from India or through any other country after having visited India in the past 14 days," said the country's ruling council in a statement.

India's total Covid-19 caseload topped 25 million on Tuesday, and there are concerns about the spread of a new, highly infectious B.1.617 variant, first found there.

India is experiencing elevated numbers of Covid-19 cases following the spread of a variant which has been classified by the World Health Organisation as a "variant of concern."

Travellers from Egypt and Ethiopia will be re-tested upon arrival, Sudan’s statement said.

Sudan has registered 34,707 Covid-19 cases including 1,116 fatalities as of May 16.

Sudan's health emergency committee also warned that total Covid-19 cases in the African country could top the 100,000 mark by mid-June if restrictions were not imposed.

The country's fragile health system has been strained by the coronavirus epidemic, with patients struggling to access hospital beds, oxygen and medications.

The coronavirus has piled pressure on Sudan which is navigating a rocky political transition and struggling with economic woes following the April 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

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