RT - The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it was extending a unilateral ceasefire in Yemen by one month to support efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. �The coalition�s command reaffirms that there is still an opportunity to focus all efforts in order to achieve a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire,� coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki was quoted as saying by the the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last month called for ceasefires in conflicts across the world to allow countries to focus on the pandemic.

A two-week ceasefire announced by the coalition, which is battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, expired on Thursday without leading to a permanent truce. The Houthi group did not accept the coalition�s previous ceasefire announcement and violence has continued in several provinces.

Yemen has reported one confirmed case of the novel coronavirus, but aid groups fear a catastrophic outbreak should the virus spread among an acutely malnourished population, Reuters said.