ALGIERS, Apr 5 (NNN-APS) – Algeria declared a nationwide lock-down to slow down the spread of COVID-19, which claimed 130 lives in the country.
The Algerian government, said that, a full lock-down has been maintained in the epicentre of the virus outbreak, the province of Blida.
Meanwhile, in nine provinces including Algiers, Oran, Medea, Setif, Ain Defla, Bejaia, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen and Tipaza, a partial lock-down will continue from 3.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m., the statement added.
The government further imposed a partial lock-down in 38 provinces from 7.00 p.m. to 7.00 a.m.
The new measure starts today (Sunday) and will last until Apr 19.
In fact, several doctors and activists have been calling on the government to impose a full lock-down all over the country for two weeks in a row, in a bid to slow down the upward trend of COVID-19 infections.
Algeria reported 80 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 1,251.
Djamel Fourar, head of the COVID-19 Detection and Follow-up Commission, told a press briefing that, deaths from COVID-19 reached 130 in Algeria, after registering 25 new deaths in the past 24 hours.
He urged citizens to stay home and practice social distancing while going out shopping, noting that, these two measures are the most efficient measures to contain the virus spread.– NNN-APS
