Egypt stressed Sunday on the need to enforce preventive measures to confront a second wave of COVID-19, particularly as infections are expected to rise in winter.
The Health Ministry urged citizens to adhere to wearing facemasks and maintain social distancing.
The government also warned that a number of firm decisions may be taken, including a fine for those do not wear masks in public, if citizens neglect the preventive measures.
On Sunday, Health Minister Hala Zayed said an increased coronavirus infection rate is very much related to the beginning of winter, attributing the rise to people not abiding by health precautions.
According to Zayed, residents of Alexandria and Cairo are the most infected by the virus in Egypt and are followed by Giza, while infection rates are lower in Upper Egyptian cities.
She expected a rise in the number of infections and deaths during the months of December and January.
“Precautionary measures must be observed, especially in closed places,” the minister added.
Zayed advised citizens to minimize the time they spend inside restaurants and closed places and to keep their masks on, warning that chances of getting the virus are three times higher without the masks.
She also advised the elderly and people suffering from chronic diseases to regularly take their prescribed medication.
On Saturday, Egypt's Health Ministry said that 208 new coronavirus cases were detected over the past 24 hours, upping the total number of confirmed cases since the outbreak in the country began to 108,962.
In a statement, spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 12 patients died from the virus over the same period, raising the death toll to 6,355.
He added that 133 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 100,239 so far.
