Egypt's health ministry announced 112 new coronavirus cases and 15 new fatalities on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 3,144 and the death toll to 239. Thirty-one Egyptians have fully recovered and been discharged from quarantine or hospitals, according to the ministry's bulletin, which brings the total number of recoveries from the virus so far to 732. The number of cases who have retested negative, including the recoveries, has now reached 1,001, ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed said. The newly detected cases include one foreigner, the remaining being Egyptians. They were detected through the ministry's investigation and contact tracing protocols, Megahed added. Health Minister Hala Zayed praised the efforts of the medical teams at fever and pulmonology hospitals, according to the ministry statement. Zayed said that 81 fever and pulmonology hospitals across Egypt have provided free medical services to more than 1.5 million patients, including some with the coronavirus, since the emergence of the virus in the country, with a daily frequency of over 25,000 patients. On Saturday, the Coptic Orthodox Church's Pope Tawadros led an Easter mass service without attendees at the desert monastery of Saint Bishoy in Wadi El-Natroun, part of unprecedented measures undertaken to stem the spread of the coronavirus in the country. This is the first time that Pope Tawadros has held an Easter service at a location other than Cairo's Saint Mark's Cathedral, or has held the service without attendants or worshippers. Public transport has been suspended on Monday, the date of the traditional spring festivity of Sham El-Nessim, in a bid to prevent people from celebrating the holiday with the customary family outings to public places. The cabinet has suspended buses, trains and the Cairo metro, and closed shops, malls and public parks.
