Egypt s health ministry spokesperson Khaled Meghad revealed Saturday that some villages have been isolated in 10 governorates in a bid to stop any possible spread of coronavirus. In a telephone call Saturday evening to news night talk show “My responsibility” on Sada El-Balad TV channel, Meghad told TV host Ahmed Moussa that the isolation of those villages was a precautionary measure. “The Ministry of Health isolates the villages after discovering coronavirus cases there, so [the villages] won t turn into a virus epicentre and spread it to other villages in the area, or the rest of the governorates,” he said. Meghad explained the isolation of villages included the closure of all roads leading to the village as well as banning any sort of interaction between villagers and outsiders for 14 days to stop any spread of Covid-19. “This procedure was followed in several governorates and achieved very positive results,” he said, adding that the 10 governorates include Red Sea, Al-Minya, Mounfia and Port Said. On Saturday, Egypt s health ministry announced that the total number of coronavirus patients jumped in to 576 after it registered officially 40 new Covid-19 cases in the country with 121 fully recovered patients and 36 fatalities.

Saudi Arabia will extend visas for Egyptian nationals stranded in the kingdom due to a suspension of flights to and from both countries amid the coronavirus outbreak, Egypt s foreign ministry said. Visas for visitors will be extended online for the same duration originally granted, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday. Umra pilgrims whose visas expired will also be allowed to apply for an extension, by 28 March, to be exempted from fines or any ensuing legal effects, it added. Earlier, the Gulf country notified visitors of all nationalities whose visas were about to expire that they can extend their stay online for up to 180 days, after paying certain fees. Egypt has 456 confirmed coronavirus cases and 21 deaths, while the Gulf kingdom registered 900 infections and two deaths.

The vast majority of coronavirus cases detected in Egypt were in direct contact with affected people, Egypt s health ministry spokesman said. “More than 90 percent of the newly discovered coronavirus cases in Egypt had come into contact with previously detected cases,” Khaled Megahed said in TV comments late Tuesday, stressing that exercising caution and avoiding gatherings and social interaction is key to combating the spread of the virus. Megahed s comments to a talk show on Sada El-Balad TV Channel came after the Egyptian government declared a nighttime curfew from 7pm to 6am for two weeks starting Wednesday, as part of broad measures to curb the deadly virus. Egypt has 402 confirmed coronavirus cases in 24 of the country s 27 governorates, including 20 fatalities, according to the health ministry. Of the total, 80 people have so far recovered. Megahed said Egypt is currently working on increasing the number of hospitals earmarked for coronavirus patients. The country currently has five isolation hospitalsn in Marsa Matrouh, Luxor, Ismailia, Alexandria and Daqahliya. "We are currently working on preparing more hospitals equipped with intensive care equipment and medical teams to be used when needed," Megahed said. Separately, Megahed was quoted in local media as saying that five additional hospitals have been earmarked for coronavirus cases, including two in Cairo s Agouza and 15th of May districts. Hospitals across the country are equipped with the supplies and facilities necessary for tackling the outbreak, the spokesman said. “We lacked some equipment at the beginning, but we have recently signed supply orders to cover our needs," he said. Egypt has taken a raft of measures to curb the spread of the respiratory disease, including suspending international flights, shutting down schools, universities, mosques and churches, halting all entertainment activities, and reducing the number of government employees going to work.