Egypt has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases, with 110 people testing positive in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the north African country to 1 560, the health ministry said on Thursday.

As the country grapples with rising infections, a further nine people have died, bringing the death toll to 103. 

According to online news publication Egypt Today, 29 people infected with Covid-19 left quarantine as they recovered. This raises the total recovered cases to 305, among 439 people whose results were negative. 

Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday announced that his government would extend the night-time curfew that was already in effect by an additional two weeks, to contain the spread of the virus. The curfew would, however, start one hour later, at 8pm daily. 

The government has implemented stringent measures to curtail local transmission, including closing airports until the end of April. 

School and university closures were also extended. Malls, cafes and shops will close at night and on weekends. 

“Our projections for this week were 120-150 cases daily. There will be increases in the number of infections in the coming two or three weeks…but the more important thing is that the rise is slight and gradual,” Madbouly said.

The Egyptian ministry of tourism and antiquities has enabled virtual tours of iconic Egyptian sites so that people can explore the country despite being on lockdown, African News Agency (ANA) reported earlier this week. 

The tours are available on the ministry's official website and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, under the slogan: "Experience Egypt from Home. Stay Home. Stay Safe."

The government says the initiative aims to promote tourism and enable people around the world to explore the ancient Egyptian civilization amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, without having to leave their homes.