Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi issued a decision to close schools and universities for two weeks, starting Sunday 15 March, during his meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Saturday.

The decision is part of "the country's comprehensive plan to deal with any possible repercussions of the novel coronavirus," Presidency Spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement on Saturday.

President El-Sisi also decided to allocate EGP 100 billion to finance the comprehensive plan and the precautionary measures to stop the spread of the virus.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Egypt has reached 109.