Egypt quarantines villages in 10 cities amid COVID-19

ISTANBUL

Egypt has put villages in 10 cities under quarantine Sunday to fight the novel coronavirus.

Health Ministry spokesman Khalid Mucahid said the villages will be under quarantine for 14 days. He did not, However, specifying locations.

The state will attend to the needs of residents in the quarantined areas, he added.

The death toll from the virus rose Saturday to 36 in Egypt.

Six, including an Italian citizen, died from the virus known as COVID-19, according to health officials.

The number of cases reached 576 in Egypt, as 40 additional patients, including a Jordanian citizen, tested positive. There have been 89 recoveries, the ministry added.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, in December, the virus has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Data shows more than 662,000 cases have been reported worldwide with the death toll above 30,600 and nearly 140,000 recoveries.