Egypt extends curfew for two weeks in a bid to halt COVID-19 spread

A security guard at Cairo University wears a protective mask following the suspension of study for only undergraduate students amid coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, in Cairo, Egypt March 15, 2020./Reuters

The Egyptian government has extended a partial curfew for another two weeks until April 23.

All measures that had been implemented to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus will still apply even as flights remain suspended.

All learning institutions, schools, colleges and universities will remain shut as well as malls and other commercial centers. However grocery stores and health care services institutions will remain operational.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced a fortnight ago, a nationwide partial curfew in an attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19.

The curfew, from 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) until 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) local time, was imposed from March 25, after Madbouly televised speech to the nation.

As of Wednesday the country had recorded 1,450 cases of infected persons.