MUSCAT — Coronavirus cases in Oman continued their upward trend on Wednesday as 1,679 new infections were recorded over the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. The overall figure now stands at 61,247. On Tuesday, 1,389 infections were recorded. Of the cases announced on Wednesday, 1,313 were Omanis and 366 foreigners. Eight fatalities due to COVID-19 were also reported, taking the death toll to 281. Meanwhile, the total number of recoveries was 29,038 as of Wednesday after 1,051 individuals who had previously positive for the virus recovered. As cases continue to increase, the health ministry urged citizens and residents to comply with the preventative measures including wearing a face mask at all times while in public and in crowded places and maintaining social distancing of at least two meters. The measures also include continuous washing of hands with water and soap, or using hand sanitizer and avoiding going out unless absolutely necessary. — Agencies