Coronavirus Watch in Mideast: Death toll of COVID-19 in Iran nears 4,000; More states require wearing masks to prevent virus spread

Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-08 06:12:27|Editor: huaxia

A truck disinfects a street in Tehran, Iran, April 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)

--Deaths from COVID-19 in Iran near 4,000 as confirmed cases hit 62,589;

--COVID-19 cases in Turkey soared to 34,109;

--Israel, Morocco started requiring wearing masks;

--Saudi Arabia's health minister fears 10,000-200,000 cases in few weeks in the kingdom.

CAIRO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed nearly 4,000 lives out of the over 60,000 infected cases in Iran, while more states in the Middle East started to require wearing face masks to curb the spread of the pandemic.

The death toll of the virus in Iran rose by 133 to 3,872 on Tuesday, Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education said, adding the confirmed cases went up by 2,089 to 62,589.

Also, the number of recovered cases hit 27,039, while 3,987 others are in critical condition.

Iran announced that it will mass-produce homemade equipment developed to deal with the COVID-19, including diagnostic kits, anti-coronavirus masks and light ventilators.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca speaks in a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on April 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)

In Turkey, its health minister on Tuesday reported 3,892 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 34,109.

The deaths from the virus have reached 725 after 76 new ones were registered, and 1,582 patients have recovered, while 1,424 others are still being treated at the intensive care units.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey, the two worst-hit countries by COVID-19 in the Middle East, discussed the means to contain the virus' spread, IRNA news agency reported.

Both sides extended sympathy over the fatalities and vowed readiness for cooperation to tackle the crisis.

People wearing masks are seen in the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak on April 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)

The Israeli health ministry announced on Tuesday that all those aged above six in Israel will be required to wear face masks outside homes starting from next Sunday morning.

This obligation does not apply to those who drive alone in their cars or have a significant difficulty in using the mask because of disability.

Also, two employees who regularly work in the same room will not be required to wear masks if they keep at least two meters from each other.

Israel so far registered 9,248 COVID-19 cases, of whom 65 have died.

People wearing face masks are seen on a bus in Rabat, Morocco, on April 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Chadi)

Meanwhile, Morocco has made the wearing of face masks compulsory for all people outside their homes starting from Tuesday.

Any offender will be prosecuted and face legal penalties, ranging from one to three months of prison sentence and a fine between 30 and 130 U.S. dollars, said an official statement.

The country so far has registered 1,184 confirmed COVID-19 cases, of whom 90 have died and 93 recovered.

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday announced 283 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 2,359.

It also confirmed one more death from the virus, making the death toll at 12.

Qatari health ministry reported on Tuesday 225 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total confirmed cases to 2,057.

And 150 patients have recovered from the disease, but six have succumbed to it.

In Algeria, the confirmed cases have hiked to 1,468, with 45 newly registered in the past 24 hours.

The death toll also went up by 20 to 193 so far, said the country's health official.

Pedestrians wearing masks walk on a street in Cairo, Egypt, April 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Huiwo)

Egyptian Health Ministry confirmed on Tuesday 128 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths, bringing the total infections in the country to 1,450.

The ministry added the deaths from the disease in the country have reached 94, while 276 others have been cured and left hospitals.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced a package of financial stimulus to limit the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on the citizens. The measures include 100 billion Egyptian pounds (6.3 billion U.S. dollars) of soft loans provided by the central bank with a 5-percent interest rate for the manufacturing sector.

In Baghdad, the Iraqi Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed one more death from COVID-19 and 91 new cases, bringing the total number of infections to 1,122 and death toll to 65.

Kuwait's health ministry reported on Tuesday 78 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 743.

So far, 637 patients are still receiving treatment, including 23 in ICU. The number of the cured in the country now reached 105.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tunisia has risen to 623, including 23 deaths, the Tunisian health minister said on Tuesday.

Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased on Tuesday by seven cases to 548, while the death toll stood at 19.

Oman's Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday that it recorded 40 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of the infections in the country to 371.

Jordan's health minister said on Tuesday four cases of the novel coronavirus were detected in the capital Amman, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 353, and the overall number of recoveries went up to 138.

In Palestine, the infections with the virus have risen to 261 cases, including one death and 42 recoveries.

Sudan's health ministry on Tuesday announced two more COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 14.

Mohammed Al-Jadaan, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Finance, during the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Virtual Meeting on March 31, 2020. (G20 pic)

The situation in Saudi Arabia also seems getting worse. Its official data showed the total number of COVID-19 cases in the kingdom reached 2,795 on Tuesday, including 615 recoveries and 41 deaths.

The Saudi Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said in a statement that studies estimated that the number of COVID-19 infections in the kingdom in the next few weeks will be between 10,000 and up to 200,000.

"Lack of commitment will lead to an enormous increase in the number of infections," the minister warned.

The Saudi government has allocated 15 billion Saudi riyals (about 3.99 billion U.S. dollars) as financial support to confront the virus' impact.

Moreover, the Saudi G20 Presidency announced on Tuesday a G20 energy ministers' virtual meeting will be held on April 10 to discuss how to stabilize energy markets, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

This meeting comes at a time as the Saudi G20 Presidency focuses on mitigating the effects of the virus' spread on people's health and global economy.

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