CAIRO, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Egypt confirmed on Tuesday 1,557 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total cases in the country to 68,311, said the Egyptian Health Ministry.

Khaled Megahed, the ministry's spokesman, said that 81 patients died from the novel coronavirus, raising the death toll to 2,953.

He added that 509 patients were completely cured and discharged from hospitals, taking the total recoveries to 18,460.

On Saturday, Egypt lifted a partial nighttime curfew imposed in the past three months, amid a co-existence plan to maintain anti-coronavirus precautionary measures while resuming economic activities.

The country has reopened restaurants, cafes, theaters and cinemas with 25 percent of their capacity, while public beaches and parks remain closed. Mosques and churches have reopened for daily prayers, but weekly mass prayers will remain suspended.

As of July 1, Egypt will resume international flights in preparation for the return of foreign tourists after more than three months of suspension over COVID-19 concerns.

The most populous Arab country has started gradual reopening of services and offices, and allowed operation of over 260 hotels for local tourists with 50-percent capacity after they were given official hygiene safety certificates.

Egypt and China have been cooperating closely in fighting the pandemic through exchanging medical aid and expertise.

In early February, Egypt provided aid to China to help with its fight against COVID-19 and China later returned favor by sending three batches of medical aid to the North African country.

Since mid-April, Chinese doctors and medical experts have held three video conferences with Egyptian counterparts to share their experience in the prevention and treatment of the novel coronavirus. Enditem

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