Cairo governorate banned on Monday shishas (water pipes) in coffee shops and public places in the capital as a preventive measure to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The governorate said in a statement that public facilities that do not adhere to the decision will be shut down and will be subject to legal measures.

Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel-Aal directed his deputies and heads of districts to coordinate with security forces to make sure the ban is strictly implemented.

The statement said the decision is one of several preventive measures Cairo will adopt to apply the government's directives to prevent gatherings and preserve public health.

Abdel-Aal also decided on Monday to ban all weekly local markets across the governorate.

Over the past few days Egypt has taken several preventive measures to stop the spread of the virus.

Egypt announced on Monday that it will suspend international flights to and from the country from 19 till 31 March, and that it will reduce the presence of public sector employees in their offices.

On Saturday, Egypt suspended classes in schools and universities nationwide for 15 days and major public gatherings have been banned.

To date, Egypt has recorded 150 coronavirus cases, with three deaths.



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