CAIRO -- Egypt registered 1,289 new coronavirus cases and 34 deaths, the health ministry said on Friday, marking another record of daily increases on both counts despite stricter curfew rules.

That brought the total number of fatalities to 879 and confirmed cases to 22,082, of which 5,511 people have recovered.

Infections rose this week during Eid Al-Fitr celebrations, at the end of the Ramadan fasting month, despite the government bringing forward a coronavirus curfew by four hours to 5 p.m. and banning public transport for six days since Sunday.

On Monday, Egypt’s top medical union warned of a “complete collapse” of the country’s health system, accusing the health ministry of negligence in failing to protect healthcare workers from coronavirus.

“The syndicate is warning that the health system could completely collapse, leading to a catastrophe affecting the entire country if the health ministry’s negligence and lack of action toward medical staff is not rectified,” the Egyptian Medical Syndicate said in a statement. -- Agencies