Libya's government Monday announced a two-week overnight curfew in the areas it controls in the centre and west of the North African country, as it battles a rise in Covid-19 cases.

A government statement said the 12-hour curfew would start at 6:00 pm and end at 6:00 am, during which time cafes, restaurants, shops and parks will be closed and travel prohibited.

Only essential services such as the transport of goods, pharmacies, law enforcement, sanitation and electricity services will be exempted.

The curfew will not apply in eastern and southern Libya, which are de facto controlled by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Health services in Libya, a country of some seven million people, have been battered by a decade of conflict. Since the pandemic began, 236,961 cases and 3,398 deaths from Covid-19 have been recorded.

Record figures nationwide have seen a few thousand new patients each day, partly due to better testing.

On July 11, Libya imposed sweeping restrictions to stem the spread of coronavirus as recorded cases hit a new high. These included a ban on weddings and organised funerals with mourners.

On Saturday, the authorities launched a vaccination campaign around the capital Tripoli. Fewer than 500,000 people have been vaccinated since an inoculation campaign began in April.