Coronavirus infections climbed in Middle Eastern countries on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing the total in the region past 10,000 cases, as countries took new measures to curb the spread of the disease, cancelling flights, events and gatherings.
In Iran, the regional epicenter of the outbreak, the virus has killed 354 people and infected some 9,000 people nationwide. There are concerns that the number of infections across Iran is much higher than the confirmed cases reported by the government, which is struggling to contain or manage its spread. The rising casualty figures each day in Iran suggest the fight against the new coronavirus is far from over.
Multiple top officials in Iran — from its senior vice president to Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, Revolutionary Guard members, health workers and health ministry officials — have contracted the virus. Some of those officials have died.
Egypt confirmed 67 cases Wednesday, 45 of which were detected on a River Nile cruise ship in the popular tourist destination of Luxor, and a German tourist who died in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
Algeria has registered its first death from the coronavirus, the health ministry announced on Thursday.
No further details on the death were provided in the ministry statement, cited by the official APS press agency.
Another five new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed cases on Algerian soil to 24, the ministry added.
A 25th case — and the first registered in the country — concerns an Italian who tested positive in February but who has since left Algeria.
Of the five new cases announced on Thursday, two are Algerians who had been in France.
Morocco reported its sixth coronavirus case, a Senegalese patient who arrived from France to the city of Fes.
All Gulf Arab states, meanwhile, have recorded infections but no deaths.
Qatar reported 238 more coronavirus infections among individuals under quarantine in a residential compound on Wednesday, bringing the country’s tally to 262.
Bahrain, which now has 195 total cases in all, announced 77 new infections among citizens evacuated by plane from Iran, which has emerged as an epicenter for the virus in the Middle East.
Kuwait, which has 72 confirmed coronavirus cases, announced it would halt all commercial passenger flights starting on Friday and declared a public holiday from March 12 to March 26 except for entities providing essential services.
It banned people from going to restaurants and cafes and asked them to no longer hold Kuwait’s traditional diwaniya private and public gatherings, state news agency KUNA said.
Saudi Arabia, which now has 45 cases of the disease and locked down the oil-producing region of Qatif, said on Wednesday it was closing cinemas until further notice, state news agency SPA reported. Two meetings of G20 economies due to be held in Saudi Arabia have been postponed.
