Algerian president continues to recover in German hospital
The health of Algeria’s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who contracted coronavirus, is improving, his representative said.
Mr Tebboune, who is 74 and a heavy smoker, has been treated in a German hospital since October 28.
The president “is in the process of completing his treatment... and his state of health is constantly improving”, the representative said.
Mr Tebboune was transferred from a hospital in the Algerian capital Algiers to Bonn in Germany shortly after he went into isolation following reports of coronavirus infections among his aides.
He was admitted to one of the largest specialised hospitals in Germany for in-depth medical examinations.
The president’s illness meant he was out of the country for Sunday’s constitutional referendum, believed to be aimed at quelling a mass protest movement and boosting Mr Tebboune, elected president after a record low turnout in December last year.
The referendum was passed with two thirds of the vote but participation plunged to new lows, as only 23.7 per cent of eligible voters took part, according to official data.
In a separate statement from his office on Sunday, Mr Tebboune conveyed his “sincere thanks to the people” for their concern about his health.
The president also expressed thanks to leaders and governments of other countries for their messages of support. Algeria’s government on Sunday moved to strengthen measures to combat the spread of the virus, extending a night-time stay-home measure in place in 20 of the country’s 48 regions to include a further nine.
The curfew will start at 8pm local time, three hours earlier than before, but will still end at 5am. The new measures will come into effect today for 15 days, the authorities said.