Algeria has banned street protests over the coronavirus, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Tuesday, bringing to an end a year of unprecedented mass demonstrations that brought down the veteran president and convulsed the state. Speaking in a televised address after meeting government ministers and security officials, Tebboune said gatherings and marches were prohibited. “The lives of citizens are above all considerations even if this requires restricting some freedoms,” he said. Algeria has confirmed 60 cases of the coronavirus including five deaths, mostly in the town of Blida, south of the capital, and has restricted much foreign travel and closed mosques. The protest movement, known as the Hirak, exploded onto the streets in February 2019 as it became clear that octogenarian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika would seek another term as president after 20 years in the job. Demonstrators quickly moved from demanding he step aside to insisting that […]