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Egypt tightens measures to curb coronavirus spread

March 25, 2020 at 9:30 am

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo, Egypt on 2 June 2018 [Egyptian President Office/Apaimages]

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has said that his government had announced additional measures as a precautionary procedure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“The government [has issued] urgent measures aimed at preventing the spread of the virus and reducing infection rates,” Al-Sisi said on Twitter, calling all the Egyptian citizens “to comply with the imposed measures.”

Al-Sisi stressed that his government would deal with any attempts to violate the imposed measures with “the utmost firmness and decisiveness within the framework of the law.”

“My bet is always on the great Egyptian people’s awareness and their ability to overcome crises and make it through the difficult times,” he continued.

READ: Egypt evacuates Cairo’s largest market to curb coronavirus spread

Earlier on Wednesday the Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly declared a night-time curfew, banning movement of citizens on all public roads from 7pm to 6am the following morning for two weeks. He noted that the decision was made to curb the coronavirus outbreak across the country.

After emerging in China’s Wuhan last December, the virus has infected more than 350,000 people across the world and has caused over 15,000 fatalities, mostly in Italy, China, Spain, Iran, France, and the US, while more than 100,000 have recovered from the virus.

Amid the epidemic spread, many countries have closed their borders, suspended flights, imposed a curfew, closed schools and prevented public gatherings, including group prayers.

A vast majority of those who were infected were recently reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to have recovered from the illness.