Egypt Quarantines 300 Families in Village After Virus Deaths

Date: 17 March 2020 - 22:21

News ID: ۷۷۲۰۴

CAIRO (Dispatches) – Egypt has placed over 300 families under quarantine in a Delta village to stem the spread of the new coronavirus after two deaths were recorded this month originating from the area.
"We have confined more than 300 families to their homes where they will remain in quarantine,” Health Minister Hala Zayed told late-night television host Amr Adib.
Without naming the village in Daqahliya governorate, 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Cairo in the fertile Delta, she explained that "cleansing procedures” were undertaken to prevent further infections and that other "touristic” governorates would also be shut down in coming days.
The "heightened” measures come after Egypt recorded two new deaths, with the toll now rising to four.
The health ministry said Monday that an Egyptian man aged 50 died after coming into contact with a 72-year-old woman, who succumbed on March 12 from COVID-19, hailing from the same Daqahliya village now under quarantine.
The other death was of a German man, 72, in Luxor, the site of coronavirus cases originating on a Nile cruise boat that was later quarantined.
Egypt’s total confirmed virus cases stands at 166 after the ministry reported 40 new cases, 35 of them Egyptians and five foreigners of various nationalities.

Jordan to Close All Commercial Centers

Jordan has decided to close all malls and commercial centers to curb the spread of COVID-19, Minister of State for Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh said at a press conference in Amman on Tuesday.
All private sector companies will be closed except for hospitals, pharmacies and food stores, the minister said.
Gatherings of more than 10 people will be banned and travelling between cities and governorates will be prohibited, he added.
Jordan also decided to stop the printing of newspapers and suspend public transportation.
The country will prepare quarantine camps at land border crossings for all passengers arriving at the country, Adaileh said, adding that all measures will go into effect by March 18 and will last for two weeks.