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Algeria: Nine governorates under night-time curfew 

March 28, 2020 at 9:54 am

The streets of Algiers are empty following a ban on street marches due to virus [Twitter]

On Friday the Algerian authorities announced the expansion of the night-time curfew to nine other governorates, mainly in the north of the country, in addition to the capital.

Under new measures taken to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Algeria’s Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad issued a decree that includes the expansion of curfew procedures on new governorates, starting from Saturday.

On Monday, the authorities issued a decision to isolate the Blida governorate, south of the capital, where there is a concentration of coronavirus cases, and impose a full lockdown for ten days.

According to the prime minister’s statement: “The curfew extension is to be enforced from 7pm-7am, and will include Batna, Setif, Constantine, Tizi-Ouzou, Boumerdes, Tipaza, Medea, Oran and Wadi.”

READ: Tunisia, Algeria to shut land border over coronavirus 

The statement did not clarify the duration of the new curfew, given that these governorates are the most affected by the virus, following Blida and the capital.

Until Thursday, Algeria amassed 367 cases of the coronavirus, including 25 deaths and 29 recoveries, according to the Ministry of Health.

As of Friday, the number of infected cases has reached more than 549,000 people worldwide, with 25,000 fatalities, while more than 128,000 people have recovered.