COVID-19: Libya records 12 new cases

At least 12 new COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Libya, bringing the caseload in the country to 168, with 52 recoveries and five deaths, according to the country's National Centre for Disease Control.

In a statement late Monday, the centre said it received a total of 658 suspected cases, 646 of whom tested negative and 12 positives.

All the new infections are in southern Libya, the centre said.

The southern city of Sabha recorded nearly half of the total number of COVID-19 cases in the North African country in less than a week after the announcement of the first case in the city.

The UN-backed government in the capital Tripoli recently decided to ban the entry into and exit from Sabha and imposed a 24-hour curfew for seven days starting from May 28, in order to fight the pandemic.

The Libyan authorities have taken a series of protective measures against the virus, including closing the country’s borders, mosques and schools, banning public gatherings and imposing curfews.

(Xinhua/NAN)