Egypt's Supreme Council Of Antiquities announced it is shutting down all museums and archaeological sites in the country from 23 to 31 March as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Head of the council Mostafa Waziry stated on Saturday that sterilisation and disinfection safety measures will be implemented in the archaeological sites during the period of closure in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and in accordance with international standards. He added that during this period, there will be awareness training for employees at museums and archaeological sites on methods of prevention and protection against the virus. On Saturday, Egypt suspended praying in mosques across the country in a bid to counter the global pandemic. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church also announced on Saturday that it's shutting down all churches nationwide. On Friday Egypt announced 29 new coronavirus cases and one new death, bringing the total number of cases to 285 and eight deaths.
