Algeria lifts lockdown on coronavirus epicentre

Algeria has ended a full lockdown on the northern Blida province, the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, and replaced it with a curfew during the holy month of Ramadhan.

Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad said the curfew will begin at 14:00 local time (13:00GMT) and end at 07:00 the next day.

It is unclear if the full lockdown on Blida province, which was to end in a week, will be re-introduced after Ramadhan.

Other nine provinces, including the capital Algiers, that had a curfew starting from 15:00 local time will now have a relaxed curfew starting from 17:00.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said there had been improvement since the lockdown and curfew were imposed and soon "normal life" would resume, according to Xinhua news agency.