The leader of Sudan’s National Umma Party, Sadiq al-Mahdi, arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to complete his treatment after he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Al-Mahdi was taken to Abu Dhabi for treatment.
On Monday, his party underlined in a statement that doctors at Alia Hospital decided to keep al-Mahdi under observation after he was infected along with 21 members of his family.
Social media activists shared a photo of al-Mahdi aboard the plane that took him to the UAE. He appeared wearing an oxygen mask.
Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, whose close associates have also tested positive for the COVID-19 disease, described al-Mahdi as one of the pillars of the Sudanese national movement.
He wished him and his family members a speedy recovery.
Hamdok also said on his Facebook page that he hoped al-Mahdi would return to Sudan soon to carry out along with the rest of the factions the nation-building process.
Acting Health Minister Osama Ahmed Abdul Rahim denied that the country would go into a lockdown, reiterating his call for social distancing and wearing masks.
The decision of a lockdown hinges on the spread of the pandemic and the community’s ability to deal with it, he said.
The Health Ministry reported 10 new cases on Friday, and a further 47 cases on Saturday and Sunday.
This brought the country’s tally to 13,866. The Ministry also reported a total of 837 deaths.
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