Afghan Authorities Close Eastern City Of Jalalabad Due To Coronavirus Fears - Spokesman

The authorities in the eastern Afghan region of Nangarhar have decided to shut down Jalalabad, which is the provincial capital and one of the largest cities in the country, due to COVID-19 fears, Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the Nangarhar governor, told Sputnik on Tuesday

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2020) The authorities in the eastern Afghan region of Nangarhar have decided to shut down Jalalabad, which is the provincial capital and one of the largest cities in the country, due to COVID-19 fears, Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the Nangarhar governor, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"The city of Jalalabad was closed due to the fear of the coronavirus," Khogyani said.

Even though there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nangarhar, the authorities imposed strict safety measures in the capital and limited the movement of citizens.

Moreover, Afghan Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz announced the restriction on movement in the western province of Herat. The local authorities said in a statement that necessities would be provided to the citizens while the new regulations are in place.

According to Feroz, there have been 42 COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan and one coronavirus-related death as of Tuesday.