Azerbaijan is set to reinstate a tight coronavirus lockdown to contain the spread of the disease, officials said, as infections surged weeks after the country eased restrictions, according to AFP.

“A quarantine regime will be extended until August 1” from Sunday in the capital Baku and several other major cities, the Caspian nation's government said in a statement. The stay-at-home regime will be tightened.

Azerbaijanis will be allowed to leave home only after receiving permission via text message from the authorities, the statement said.