Corona's epidemic .. closing borders, declaring an emergency, and infection expanding in Africa

Tightened measures have taken place throughout the world to confront the Corona epidemic, between declaring a state of emergency and closing the borders and even a curfew in some countries, while the virus continued to spread as several countries in Africa recorded the first infections on their lands during the last hours.

According to updated statistics, the new Corona virus (Covid-19) has killed at least 5,400 people worldwide since its outbreak in December, and has recorded nearly 143,000 infections in 135 countries and territories since the epidemic began.

China (excluding the Hong Kong and Macao regions) from which the epidemic started in late December, recorded about 80,800 injuries, more than 3,000 deaths, while about 65,500 people recovered, and China announced 11 new cases and 13 deaths since Friday evening until nine in the morning, Saturday, GMT.

During the last 24 hours, Rwanda, Namibia, Sudan, Mauritania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Guinea and the Kingdom of Swatini (formerly Swaziland) confirmed the first cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the number of African countries where the disease appeared to 22.

The following are the latest developments regarding new infections, deaths and anti-virus measures in the countries of the world:

Iran
Today, the Ministry of Health announced 97 new deaths from the virus, raising the official death toll to 611 in Iran, one of the countries most affected by the epidemic.

"1,365 new infections have been recorded in the past 24 hours," the health ministry spokesman Kyanosh Jahanpur told a televised news conference, raising the number of injured in Iran to 12,729.

Iranian state television announced yesterday that the security forces will clear the streets of Iranian cities within 24 hours to combat the spread of the virus.

Saudi
The Saudi Press Agency said today, Saturday, quoting an official source in the Ministry of Interior, that the Kingdom’s government decided to suspend international flights for a period of two weeks, starting tomorrow, Sunday.

The source added that this period will be considered an exceptional official holiday for citizens and residents who were unable to return due to suspension of flights, or subjected to the application of quarantine after their return to the Kingdom.

Kuwait
Today, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health announced the registration of four confirmed cases of Corona virus during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases registered in the country to 104 cases.

On the other hand, a spokesman for the civil aviation in Kuwait, Saad Al-Otaibi, told Al-Jazeera that his country's authorities will start next week to evacuate Kuwaitis from various countries of the world through special flights.

This follows the entry into force of the closure of Kuwaiti airspace in front of incoming and outgoing flights until further notice, in implementation of a decision taken by the government as part of a series of measures to prevent the outbreak of the Corona virus.

UAE
The government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi said today that it has decided to temporarily shut down major cultural and tourist sites from March 15 to March 31 in the framework of measures to contain the Corona virus.

The media office of the government of the emirate explained on Twitter that the temporary closure includes "the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, the National Palace, the Saadiyat Lighthouse, the Palace of the Fort, the Cultural Complex, the Al Ain Palace Museum, the Al Ain Oasis, Al Jahili Fort, the Warner Brothers World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, Claym and Ferrari World Abu Dhabi."

Qatar
The Qatari Ministry of Health announced today, Saturday, that it had registered 17 new cases of coronavirus, and said it was related to cases previously discovered in quarantine.

Sultanate of Oman
The Omani authorities announced the suspension of studies in all educational institutions in the Sultanate, starting tomorrow, Sunday, for a month.

Iraq
The decision of the Ministry of Interior in the Kurdistan region of Iraq came into effect to impose a curfew in the governorates of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah for 48 hours, to limit the spread of the Corona virus, and the provincial government had suspended before the official working days and closed schools, universities and mosques.

Palestine
A Palestinian government spokesman said today, Saturday, that three new cases of Coronavirus have been registered in the Palestinian territories, bringing the total to 38.

Sudan
The Sudanese Ministry of Health announced on Friday in a statement recording the first infection with the virus in the country and the death of its owner on Thursday.

The Minister of Health, Akram Al-Tom, said that the deceased was a citizen of fifty years of age, who had visited the Emirates in the first week of this month.

The minister announced that the Sudanese government decided to suspend all activities in the country, organize sports activities without an audience, and stop officials traveling abroad except for necessity within the framework of the plan to confront the Corona virus.

Algeria
The Algerian Ministry of Health announced today, Saturday, the third death of Corona virus in the country, and the ministry said in a statement that the new case was registered in the province of Blida, west of the capital Algiers, for a 51-year-old woman.

The ministry said it had registered 10 new cases of the disease, bringing the total in Algeria to 37.

Morocco, West, sunset
The Moroccan authorities have announced the suspension of flights between the Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Portugal due to fears of an outbreak of the Corona virus, and Morocco has previously suspended all flights with China, Spain, Italy, France and Algeria.

Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the authorities have prevented gatherings of more than 50 people, and canceled sports, cultural and artistic activities and meetings.

Mauritania
The Mauritanian Ministry of Health said in a statement Friday evening that the first case of coronavirus in the country is a European man who lives in Mauritania and returned to the capital Nouakchott on March 9, and has been quarantined since then, and his nationality has not been determined.

United State
US President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency because of the Coruna outbreak, opening the way for federal aid that he said could amount to about $ 50 billion to help contain the disease.

Trump said the authorities would provide five million test devices for the Corona virus, but he urged Americans to request a test only if they felt they needed it.

The US House of Representatives, at dawn on Saturday, with the support of the Democratic and Republican parties, approved a multi-billion-dollar package of measures to mitigate the damage of the Corona epidemic.

The package - which was approved with the approval of 363 members in exchange for opposition 40 - includes the provision of free exams and paid sick leave, to reduce the economic damage to the epidemic that closed schools and businesses and stopped sports activities.

Britain
The British government plans to pass emergency laws this week to ban public gatherings, in an effort to limit the spread of the Corona virus, in an escalation of a crisis plan that critics say is too loose.

"We have put in place emergency legislation to give the government the powers needed to deal with the Corona virus, including public gathering prevention and compensation authorities," a government source told Reuters.

Norway
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised all citizens today, Saturday, not to travel to any country within the next month, and at the same time urged its citizens abroad to return to the homeland as soon as possible due to the outbreak of the Coruna virus.

The ministry added that this recommendation is necessary in light of the spread of the virus and travel restrictions imposed by other countries.

Russia
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Michaustin announced in a statement today, Saturday, that his country will stop receiving foreigners from midnight on Saturday and will close its land borders with Norway and Poland.

He added in his statement that the ban would be applied to every foreigner traveling "for professional, private, academic or tourism reasons", with the exception of citizens of Belarus and "members of official delegations" and those who have residence permits in Russia.

Poland
Poland decided on Friday to close its borders to foreign travelers to prevent the outbreak of the new Corona virus.

Spain
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government will hold an extraordinary meeting today, Saturday, to officially declare a state of emergency to combat the Corona virus.

Philippines
The authorities of the Philippine capital, Manila, have announced a curfew between eight in the evening and five in the morning for a month, and urged companies and shopping centers to close their doors for a month.