Iran's COVID-19 death toll approaches 1,700, Syria reports 1st case

The death toll from COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, in Iran soared to 1,685 on Sunday, as Syria reported the first case of infection.

A total of 21,638 people have been infected with the highly infectious virus so far, 7,913 of whom have recovered.

Earlier Sunday, the Iranian authorities ordered the closure of commercial centers, excluding convenience stores and pharmacies, in the capital Tehran amid the COVID-19 spread.

Iran Mall, Iran's biggest shopping center located in the west of Tehran, will be used as a temporary hospital to provide 3,000 beds for treating coronavirus patients.

Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Hossein Baqeri said Sunday that 52 of 58 military hospitals across the country have begun receiving the coronavirus patients.

In Damascus, the Syrian Health Ministry confirmed the first confirmed case of COVID-19 infection, who came from abroad. All needed measures were taken to deal with the case.

Earlier on Sunday, the Syrian government announced suspension of public transportation starting Monday evening, which will be applied in all Syrian provinces.

So far, only two countries in the Middle East, Libya and Yemen, have not publicly reported any cases of COVID-19 infection.

In Turkey, the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 30 on Sunday, after nine more deaths were recorded, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet.

A total of 289 COVID-19 new cases were diagnosed on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Turkey to 1,236. Turkey has now become the second hardest-hit country in the Middle East following Iran.

Turkey's national flag carrier Turkish Airlines announced that it would suspend all its international flights, except for five destinations, as of March 27. The five destinations include China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Russian capital Moscow, the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, and New York and Washington D.C. in the United States.

In Israel, 188 more people tested positive for the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 1,071.

Israel has launched a cellphone application for tracking anyone's contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, the Israeli Ministry of Health said.

At the same time, Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology announced the launch of a coronavirus research database. It called on doctors, scientists, technologists and others to submit proposals for researches that could be carried out soon.

In Algeria, two more deaths and 60 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, bringing the death toll to 17 and the total number of confirmed cases to 201.

Egypt confirmed on Sunday 33 new COVID-19 cases, raising the total number of infections to 327, including 14 deaths and 56 recoveries, the Egyptian Health Ministry said.

Four new deaths were confirmed, who are Egyptians whose ages varied between 51 and 80, the ministry said.

In Iraq, the Health Ministry confirmed three more deaths from COVID-19 and 19 new cases, bringing the total number of the infected to 233, of whom 20 have died and 57 have recovered.

Iraqi Health Minister Jaafar Sadiq Allawi said that Iraq decided to extend the curfew across the country until March 28 at 11:00 pm (2000 GMT). The suspension of schools and universities as well as international flights will be extended until March 28.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Morocco rose to 115, after 19 new cases were reported. Out of the infected cases, four have died and three have recovered.

Morocco declared on Sunday an one-month state of medical emergency, which will last until April 20.

In Beirut, Lebanon's Interior Minister Mohammad Fahmi said that 18 more COVID-19 cases were recorded, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 248.

Fahmi warned that the situation in Lebanon could be out of control and the nation "should be prepared for the worst scenarios."

Tunisia reported 15 new coronavirus cases, bringing the number of confirmed cases in the country to 75, which included 54 imported ones. A third death from COVID-19 was also reported, who was an elderly man in the governorate of Tunis.

Kuwait reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of the confirmed cases to 188.

The Kuwaiti government decided to impose a nationwide curfew from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting Sunday to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The suspension of work in all ministries and state agencies will also be extended by two additional weeks.

Palestine on Sunday reported four new coronavirus cases in the West Bank city of Ramallah, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 59.