Roundup: Iran sets new record in daily COVID-19 cases; French ambassador to Lebanon infected with coronavirus

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CAIRO, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran reported 5,039 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, setting a new record in daily coronavirus infections in the country. Meanwhile, the French ambassador to Lebanon and 15 embassy employees were reported to be infected with the virus.

The tally of coronavirus infections in Iran, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, surged to 539,670, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education.

The COVID-19 pandemic has so far taken the lives of 31,034 in Iran, after the overnight registration of 322 new deaths, while the total number of recoveries rose to 434,676, she added.

Starting from Oct. 22, Iranian airlines will be required to limit the sale of tickets to 60 percent of available seats, Iranian Minister of Road and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami announced on Tuesday.

French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo, as well as 15 employees at the embassy, were infected with COVID-19, local media reported on Tuesday.

The French embassy said in a statement quoted by local media that Grillo, who only arrived in Lebanon earlier the month, was in "good health," adding that the doctors thought she has recovered from the disease and will continue to be isolated and work at her residence.

Lebanon's total number of COVID-19 cases on Tuesday climbed by 1,392 to 64,336, including 531 deaths and 29,498 recoveries.

Abdul Rahman Bizri, member of the Lebanese National Infectious Diseases Committee, urged on Tuesday the Lebanese government to act fast in adopting tougher measures amid rapid rise in COVID-19 cases.

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,920 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide infections to 434,598.

It also confirmed 49 more deaths and 2,602 new recoveries, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 10,366 and the tally of recoveries to 366,134.

Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi said in a press release that Iraq would be one of the countries that will receive COVID-19 vaccines for 20 percent of its population, if approved by international organizations.

Saudi Arabia reported 385 new COVID-19 infections and 16 more fatalities, raising the tally of coronavirus cases to 342,968 and the death toll to 5,217.

The total number of recoveries in the kingdom rose by 375 to 329,270, while there are 8,481 active cases including 840 in critical condition, the Saudi Health Ministry said.

Turkey reported 1,894 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, raising the tally of infections in the country to 351,413. The death toll from the virus rose by 74 to 9,445, while the tally of recoveries went up by 1,512 to 306,939.

Turkey started to take drastic actions against violations of the anti-cronavirus rules amid the rising number of daily cases.

More than 400 teams of some 1,000 personnel have taken to the streets in the country's most populous city Istanbul, which has recently become the epicenter of the pandemic once again.

During the rest of the week, the controls are expected to focus on beauty salons, coiffeur's, and barbershops as well as the conditions of those in COVID-19 isolation.

Morocco announced on Tuesday 3,254 new COVID-19 cases and 51 more deaths, taking the tally in the North African country since March 2 to 179,003 and the death count to 3,027.

The tally of recoveries from the coronavirus in Morocco increased to 148,838 after 2,417 more were added, the ministry of health said.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported 1,077 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 117,594 and the death count to 470. The total recoveries rose by 1,502 to 110,313.

Kuwait reported 886 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 117,718 and the death toll to 714 in the country.

The Kuwaiti health ministry also announced the recovery of 592 more patients, raising the total recoveries in the country to 109,198.

In Libya, 957 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths were reported, bringing the total cases in the country to 50,906 and the death toll to 746.

Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila on Tuesday warned that a new "dangerous" phase of COVID-19 would hit the Palestinian territories in autumn and winter seasons.

The Palestinian health ministry recorded 513 new coronavirus cases and eight more deaths, bringing the total infections in the Palestinian territories to 59,595 and the death toll to 492.

Qatar confirmed 273 new COVID-19 infections and 216 recoveries, raising the total confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 129,944 and the tally of recoveries to 126,866. The death toll in Qatar remained unchanged at 224 for the third day running.

Tunisia announced 1,723 new COVID-19 cases and 24 more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 44,450 and the death toll to 711.

Amid the rapid spread of COVID-19, Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi ordered a curfew in all 24 provinces of the country starting Tuesday. Enditem

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