Egypt confirmed on Thursday six additional deaths and 41 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total number of cases confirmed so far in the country to 536.
30 people have died from the virus in Egypt.
Health Ministry Spokesperson Khaled Megahed explained that the newly infected cases are all Egyptian nationals, except for one foreign national who was in contact with previously confirmed cases of the virus.
The new cases had all been in contact with individuals previously confirmed to have been infected with the virus, adding that the total number of fully-recovered cases rose to 116 on Friday evening, all of whom have been discharged from isolation hospitals.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly imposed a two-week nationwide curfew from 7 pm until 6 am beginning on Wednesday and extended school closures an additional two weeks to fight the spread of coronavirus.
Egypt had already closed mosques and churches across the country, banned shisha at cafes, and asked non-essential stores and shops to close each evening.
Under the curfew announced on Tuesday, shops will be closed from 5 pm until 6 am during the week, while stores will be subjected to a complete shutdown on Fridays and Saturdays.
However, the closure decisions do not include bakeries, pharmacies, grocery stores or supermarkets outside shopping centers, Madbouly said, while restaurants will be limited to home delivery only.
Cafes have been shuttered completely.
Violators of the curfew face penalties ranging from a fine of LE 4,000 to imprisonment.
Cairo police and local authorities have also launched a crackdown on street vendors at the popular Ataba and al-Mosky markets, following orders from Cairo Governor Khaled Abdelaal to prevent overcrowding in outdoor marketplaces amid the virus outbreak.
Meanwhile, museums and tourist sites across the country also closed down on March 23 and are currently being sanitized.
Madbouly had issued a resolution on March 17 to reduce the number of employees in the public sector, instructing work from home whenever possible, while Egypt’s cabinet is currently mulling establishing a crisis management fund to support workers in the informal economy who have been impacted by coronavirus and harsh measures to control its spread.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi also previously announced a LE100 billion comprehensive plan to counter the outbreak and its negative economic consequences, while the Central Bank of Egypt has adopted various measures to cushion the economy as harsh measures are implemented to contain the outbreak.
These include a three percent interest rate cut, providing loans to tourist establishments with repayment terms of up to two years, and an injection of LE 20 billion, or $US 1.27 billion, to support the stock market.
