Egypt reported one new death and 29 new novel coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total to 285 cases nationwide, according to a statement by the health ministry.

The total number of fatalities now stands at eight, according to ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed.

Megahed said the new fatality was a 60-year-old Egyptian national who had returned from Italy.

The 29 newly detected infections include one foreigner, Megahed said, adding that some of the detected cases were of citizens who had returned from abroad or who were in contact with previously detected positive cases.

All of the cases were currently receiving medical treatment at isolation hospitals, he said.

Eleven cases have recovered from the virus, bringing the total cleared cases to 39 as of Friday, out of 60 cases whose new laboratory tests have been negative for the virus.

The recovered cases are five Egyptians, including a doctor and a nurse, and six foreigners of different nationalities.

Egypt has upped its preventive measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus by suspending international flights to and from the country until the end of March and by reducing the number of public sector employees working at state institutions.

The country has also closed schools and universities for two weeks and allocated a EGP 100 billion fund to finance a "comprehensive" plan to stop the spread of the virus.

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