Sudan's ruling sovereign council on Monday ordered a shutdown of the country's airports, ports and land crossings in a bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The council also declared a public health emergency in the country in response to the country's only confirmed COVID-19 case.

The move by Sudan is similar to actions taken by other countries in Africa and beyond as the disease continues to spread across the globe.

Africa's COVID-19 cases remain relatively low compared to other regions but the number has spiked recently causing concern.

As of Monday 17 March 2020, 30 countries had confirmed COVID-19 cases, the latest being Liberia, Tanzania and Benin.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in the continent has now surpassed 400.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has also interrupted other activities across Africa, including education and sports as government’s banned public gatherings.

Source(s): Al Jazeera