ADEN, Yemen, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of shops and other businesses began on Tuesday closing their doors as part of precautionary measures to curb the potential coronavirus outbreak in Yemen's southern port city of Aden.

"A number of precautionary measures were declared including closing crowded restaurants, shops, and other clothing stores in Aden," a local official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

A number of restaurants based in Aden were permitted to do take-out business only out of coronavirus concerns, the source said.

The precautionary measures, however, excluded groceries and shops selling basic food supplies that will remain open in limited hours, he added.

The government-led emergency committee dealing with coronavirus pandemic has launched campaigns to boost people's awareness in Aden and surrounding areas.

Last week, the Yemeni government declared a number of precautionary measures in an attempt to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus in the war-ravaged Arab country.

The measures included the suspension of international flights to and from the airports under its control, the closure of all government-controlled border crossings, as well as shutting down all educational institutions.

Neither the health authorities in the government-controlled southern provinces nor in the Houthi-controlled northern provinces has reported any coronavirus cases yet.

Plagued by cholera, malnutrition and diphtheria, Yemen lacks the ability to cope with deadly epidemics as its five-year civil war has almost destroyed more than half of its healthcare system.

The war erupted in late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of much of the country's north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. Enditem

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