体坛英语新闻：Egypt suspends football activities over COVID-19 fears

CAIRO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) decided on Saturday to suspend all activities for 15 days as of next Monday, March 16, to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In a statement, the EAF said the decision applies to all divisions and local competitions, adding that the move came in accordance with the instructions of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Youth and Sports.

Earlier in the day, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi decided to suspend school and university classes across the country for two weeks due to concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.

During his meeting with Madbouly, Sisi also allocated 100 billion Egyptian pounds (6.36 billion U.S. dollars) to finance the anti-COVID-19 comprehensive plan and its precautionary measures.

According to Egypt's health ministry, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Egypt hit 109, with two death cases.

Since the emergence of the coronavirus, Egypt has adopted an integrated plan which covers early detection, quarantine and treatment measures, as well as raising public awareness.