Egypt’s armed forces began on Sunday distributing protective face masks to the public as part of strict measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, an Egyptian military spokesperson said.

The masks were handed out for free to people in major squares and commuters at central metro stations and major bus stops, spokesman Colonel Tamer El-Refaie said in a statement.

Last week, a video footage went viral online showing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi scolding a military officer at a construction site for failing to provide workers with face masks.

The Egyptian army has set up five production lines in its factories to produce face masks, with a capacity of 100,000 masks a day as part of a government plan to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

Egypt has so far recorded 1,939 coronavirus cases including 146 fatalities and 426 recoveries.