Egypt is still in the second phase of the coronavirus outbreak, health ministry spokesman Khaled Meghaded said, adding that country is working to prevent entering the third stage of the pandemic.

In comments to a late-night TV talk show on MBC Masr channel on Saturday, Megahed said the second level of the virus’ spread means the country is still able to track the number and source of infections, naming the current phase the “cluster of cases.”

The third stage of the outbreak is characterised by the inability to detect the source of the virus or to track its spread. Megahed called this the “community transmission” phase.

“We have not entered this [third] stage yet; we are still able to track the virus,” the spokesman said.

The health ministry has identified three stages of the coronavirus outbreak. The pre-epidemic phase when virus cases are detected, the disease spread phase when the source of infections is identified and the third is the community transmission phase.

Egypt has so far registered 294 coronavirus cases, including 10 deaths.

Egypt has introduced a series of sweeping measure to contain the spread of the virus, including suspending air traffic, closing schools and universities and shutting malls and cafes overnight. The country also announced on Saturday that it is shutting all mosques and churches.