Syria announced Saturday it will shorten curfew hours by 90 minutes a day and allow some shops and small businesses to open on alternate days of the week during the holy month of Ramadan, which starts next week.
Mosques will remain closed to communal prayers until at least May 2, Damascus said.
Syria, considered a high-risk country by the World Health Organization because of the destruction of its healthcare infrastructure during the nine-year war, has only recorded 38 infections and two deaths in government-controlled areas.
In Israel, authorities closed off two small Arab towns in the north to prevent the spread of the virus.
Police said movement into and out of Deir al-Assad and neighboring Bineh would be strictly limited.
Israel has increased testing in Arab areas in recent days, and the closures appeared to be linked to a spike in cases. Arab citizens of Israel account for 20% of the population and have long faced discrimination.
Israeli authorities have imposed similar closures on some ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas, where cases spiked after many disregarded health guidelines in the early days of the pandemic.
Israel, which imposed nationwide restrictions and ordered all non-essential businesses to close in mid-March, has reported more than 13,000 cases, including 158 deaths.
Sudanese rush to bakeries
Elsewhere, Sudanese formed long lines outside bakeries and fuel stations early Saturday ahead of a round-the-clock curfew in the capital, Khartoum, that is set to last three weeks.
The country, which is still reeling from last year's uprising that toppled longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, has reported 66 cases, including 10 deaths.
An outbreak in Sudan would severely strain the health system, which has been weakened by decades of civil war and sanctions.
Authorities have also banned Friday prayers in Khartoum mosques, a measure taken by several other countries in the region. The transitional government sacked Khartoum’s governor, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Abdoun Hamad, after he objected to the ban.
Algeria, Morocco extend lockdown
Algeria will extend a lockdown by 10 days until April 29 as it tries to limit the spread of the coronavirus amid increases in deaths and confirmed cases, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday.
The government had imposed a full lockdown in the Blida area, south of the capital Algiers, and a night curfew in the country’s remaining 47 provinces until April 19.
“All other preventive measures will remain in place,” the office said in a statement, referring to measures including the suspension of flights and public transport and closure of universities, schools, restaurants and cafes.
Algeria has so far reported 2,418 infections and 364 deaths.
Morocco will extend its national lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus until May 20, the government said on Saturday.
The decision was made by the government council as the number of confirmed cases rose to 2,685, including 137 deaths and 314 recoveries.
Lockdown measures imposed on March 20 mean people are only allowed to go out to buy food or medicine, and to staff some key jobs. Schools, mosques, non-essential shops and all entertainment venues have been closed.
Morocco has made wearing masks mandatory, with those who fail to do so at risk of being fined or jailed.
The government has been paying wages of up to 1,200 dirhams ($120) to households whose main provider is unable to work and deferred taxes and loans for small businesses to ease the economic pain related to the lockdown measures.
The country's economy is forecast to contract by 3.7% in 2020, according to International Monetary Fund estimates.
