Update: the Egyptian President announced the shutting down of Egypt’s schools and universities for two weeks, and announces EGP100 Billion coronavirus fund. The past week has seen the number of coronavirus cases in Egypt slowly increase, with the Ministry of Health confirming nearly 100 people in Egypt have contracted the mysterious disease now dubbed COVID-19. Among the 100 recorded cases, there have been two deaths: a German tourist in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada and a 60-year-old Egyptian woman from Dakhalia governorate who was admitted to Al Mansoura Sudr hospital. Not much is known about the 60-year-old woman, but it did raise serious concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in the community. While the Ministry of Health and the regional office of the World Health Organisation have maintained that all cases so far have been ‘linked to previous infections,’ notably the outbreak on a Nile cruise, it is possible and likely that the coronavirus is already spreading in the wider community – as has been the case in countries around the globe. Yet, Egypt remains largely placated and happy to carry on. Though the government has been…
