Municipality workers are seen at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Yasin Akgul)
-- Turkey's #COVID19 cases rise to 159,797, with 4,431 deaths;
-- Iran reports Mideast's highest death toll of 7,564;
-- Saudi Arabia reports 78,541 total cases;
-- Egypt records record 910 daily new infections.
CAIRO, May 27 (Xinhua) -- Turkey reported on Wednesday 1,035 new confirmed cases of the COVID-19, bringing the total cases in the country to 159,797, while Iran's tally exceeded 141,000.
In Turkey, the hardest-hit country in the Middle East, 34 more people have died, taking the death toll to 4,431.
On the same day, 1,286 patients recovered from the disease in Turkey, raising the total recoveries to 122,793.
Amid the slowdown in the pandemic, Turkey's biggest city Istanbul disinfected mosques to make them ready for reopening on Friday as part of the normalization process.
The Iranian Health Ministry on Wednesday confirmed 2,080 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 141,591.
Over the past 24 hours, 56 more people died from the virus, raising the death toll to 7,564 in Iran.
A woman wearing a face mask sits at a cafe in Tehran, Iran, on May 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz)
Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday the registration of 1,815 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections to 78,541 in the kingdom.
The Saudi health ministry also reported 14 more deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 425.
Saudi Arabia has announced the extending of tourist visas automatically for three months free of charge for those stranded in the kingdom whose visas expired during the period of suspension of international flights.
Qatar's health ministry on Wednesday announced 1,740 new infections of the novel coronavirus, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state to 48,947.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced 883 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 31,969.
Egypt reported a record 910 daily new COVID-19 infections, raising the total number in the country to 19,666. It is the first time for COVID-19 daily infections in Egypt to exceed 900, after there were over 700 daily cases in the past eight consecutive days.
Muslims wearing face masks attend a Laylat al-Qadr night prayer at Al-Azhar Mosque amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Cairo, Egypt, May 19, 2020. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
Meanwhile, 19 patients died from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll in Egypt to 816, while 178 more patients were completely cured, raising the recoveries to 5,205.
Kuwait reported 692 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 23,267 and the death toll to 175.
The Omani Ministry of Health announced 255 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 8,373.
Moroccan Health Ministry reported 24 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of infections to 7,601 in the country. The number of people cured has increased to 4,978 with 97 new recoveries.
Israel's health ministry reported 36 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number to 16,793. No new death from the coronavirus was reported.
An Israeli worker cleans a room in a hotel as the preparation for reopening in central Israeli city of Tel Aviv, on May 26, 2020. (Xinhua Photo)
Earlier on Wednesday, hotels, swimming pools and restaurants across Israel were reopened in Israel. These places returned to activity under restrictions of keeping distance, taking temperatures at the entrances and taking hygiene measures.
Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 21 cases to 1,161 while the death toll remained at 26.
Palestine on Wednesday said that eight new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, bringing the total number of cases in the Palestinian territories to 613.
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila said that three cases were registered in the Gaza Strip and five others were detected in the southern West Bank district of Hebron, including two children.
Iraqi Health Ministry on Wednesday said that a total of 5,135 COVID-19 cases were confirmed since the outbreak of the disease in the country, of whom up to 175 have died.
A statement by the ministry said that 287 new cases were recorded nationwide during the past 24 hours and 257 of them were in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. ■
