The latest COVID-19 statistics for the Middle East and North Africa
The United Arab Emirates and Morocco may simply re-impose restrictions to involve a build-up of coronavirus cases in any of the countries.
In the United Arab Emirates, a government official said the Gulf state is contemplating the possibility of reintroducing evening curfews in some parts of the country if the number of COVID-19 infections increases there.
The spokesman for the National Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, Seif al-Zahri, showed in an interview with Emirates TV that curfews at night can return.
The number of infections in the United Arab Emirates increased to more than 400 this week for the first time since mid-July, with 461 cases and two deaths reported on Thursday.
In Morocco, King Mohammed VI said Thursday that the country can return to a full blockade of the coronavirus unless accumulation is reduced in cases.
New cases have increased nationally since Morocco lifted its three-month blockade at the end of June, achieving a record 1766 on August 15.
According to the most recent knowledge of Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker on Friday, the total number of infections in Morocco 47638 with 775 deaths and 32806 recoveries.
Egypt
Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population on Tuesday issued a warning on its Facebook page that smoking hookah increases the threat of COVID-19 spread, and asked Egyptians to “stop smoking or share the percentage with others.” The World Health Organization said in May on its online page that “smoking water pipes, also known as shisha or hookah, is sharing nozzles and pipes, which can facilitate the transmission of the COVID-19 virus in networks and social environments.
Jordan
Jordan closed the Al-Omari border crossing with Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after registering 18 cases of coronavirus among terminal workers, according to Al-Ghad newspaper. The move comes a week after Jordan closed the Jaber border crossing with Syria to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. There has been a build-up of coronavirus cases in Jordan attributed to border crossing activities.
Syria
Syria recorded its first death by coronavirus on Wednesday in the northwestern city of Idlib, according to fitness officials. An 80-year-old woman with chronic kidney failure died of COVID-19, the Interim government’s Syrian fitness minister, Maram al-Sheikh, told the press. A total of 54 other people in opposition-controlled spaces in Syria have been shown as affected by coronavirus infections, 46 of whom have been recovered, according to official data.
Kuwait
Kuwait reported 622 new cases of coronavirus and two more deaths on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections to 78767 and the death toll to 509, the Ministry of Fitness said in a statement. The Ministry of Health also announced that 871 more patients had recovered from the virus, bringing the total number of cures to 70,642.
Here are the most recent COVID-19 issues for the Middle East and North Africa at 7 a.m. UTC on Friday.