The Ministry of Public Health early on Saturday reported 18 new cases of the coronavirus in seven provinces, bringing the total to 299 cases since February 24.

The new cases were from 85 samples tested in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry, including 11 cases in Kabul, two in Samangan, one in Balkh, one in Kunduz, one in Faryab, one in Ghazni and one in Logar.

Herat has the highest number of cases with 206 while Kabul is in second place with 43 cases.

On Friday, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health warned of a "health catastrophe" in the country, and urged the Afghan people to prioritize hygiene and act responsibly to overcome the challenge as soon as possible.

The Health Ministry warned of increasing cases and reiterated their call for the people to stay in their homes.

“We will enter a critical period in the next three weeks. We once again call on the people to apply the health guidelines of the Ministry of Health, particularly in Kabul and Herat,” said Nizamuddin Jalil, the head of Kabul hospitals.

The city of Kabul and its provincial districts have been in lockdown for the last 10 days, but according to officials and police the residents are not taking the measures seriously.