Coronavirus: Qatar confirms 560 new cases, total now 4,663

Qatar confirmed 560 new coronavirus cases on Friday, bringing the total to 4,663, according to the health ministry.

The ministry did not announce new deaths, keeping the death toll at seven with 49 recoveries over the past 24 hours. A total of 464 people have recovered.

The health ministry said 4,192 people are currently undergoing treatment in the country.

Qatar has conducted 58,328 screenings so far with 1,947 over the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry.

The first case in the country was confirmed on February 27, but the number of cases began to rise more steeply from mid-March onwards, beginning with the announcement of 238 new cases in a single day on March 11.

Many of the cases are believed to be within crowded labor camps for migrant workers, according to media reports. As well as implementing standard restrictions on contact including closing shops and stopping Friday Prayers, Qatar has also locked down the “Industrial Area” where many migrant workers are confined.

Qatar has experienced a relatively steady rise of 6-9 percent in daily cases in the last four days, a slowdown from early April, with a 23 percent increase in cases on April 4 being the country’s highest daily increase so far.