One problem in monitoring the coronavirus pandemic is that nobody really knows how many people have been infected.
A growing number of new cases can be one indicator of how fast the virus is spreading, but that has to be weighed against other factors. For example, the more people you test, the...
Blog archive: All
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29th March 2020
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28th March 2020Since the beginning of March striking differences have emerged in the course of the coronavirus epidemic among Arab countries – especially in the numbers of deaths. The graph below shows that Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE have all been relatively successful in controlling the epidemic...
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27th March 2020Anyone who still doubts that Egypt is heading for a coronavirus catastrophe should take a look at the picture above. It shows the health minister setting the worst possible example by holding a news conference in a room packed with more than 50 people. It's generally believed that Egypt has...
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26th March 2020Throughout the Middle East, governments of all political complexions are trying – and in many cases struggling – to check the spread of coronavirus. Lockdowns, curfews, quarantine – at home or in hospitals – and social distancing are the order of the day. But there's something else looming: Ramadan...
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25th March 2020Amid rapidly-growing numbers of new infections and the first two coronavirus-related deaths, Saudi Arabia is sealing off the cities of Riyadh, Mecca and Medina. From tomorrow, no one will be allowed to leave or enter. Movement between the kingdom's 13 administrative regions will also be...
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24th March 2020With new coronavirus cases in Algeria increasing at an alarming rate, on Monday President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced a complete curfew in Blida province which is the seat of more than half of the 230 confirmed infections. Across the whole country, all non-food shops, restaurants and cafes...
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23rd March 2020Four Arab countries have now declared nationwide curfews in an effort to check the spread of coronavirus. In Kuwait, a night-time curfew – from 5pm to 4am – came into effect on Sunday. The deputy prime minister said the move was regrettable but had become necessary because people were "failing...
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22nd March 2020There's alarm in a growing number of Middle Eastern countries about members of the public who are not complying with the rules on self-isolation and social distancing. As a result, the authorities are resorting to ever more draconian measures in their effort to combat coronavirus. Non-...
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21st March 2020Sirens sounded in Jordan at 7am this morning to mark the start of a strict round-the-clock curfew enforced by thousands of troops. Shops are closed and anyone violating the curfew faces up to a year in jail. At least one person has already been arrested. The authorities say they will make an...
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20th March 2020The number of people in Israel known to have been infected with coronavirus rose by 56% yesterday with the confirmation of 501 new cases. Israel's cumulative total – 677 cases since the outbreak began – is now the highest in the Middle East apart from Iran (though it's still a very long way...
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19th March 2020From today Jordan's capital, Amman, is sealed off by the military and movement between the country's 12 governorates is prohibited. There are also restrictions on movement within the governorates. This follows a royal decree activating Jordan's National Defence Law, intended mainly for times of...
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18th March 2020The Egyptian government has accused reporters from the Guardian and the New York Times of violating "all the rules of journalistic work" in connection with the country's coronavirus epidemic. The Sisi regime's State Information Service said on Wednesday it was withdrawing the accreditation of...
