Egypt’s Government Updates Partial Re-Opening Measures Until End of June

According to the Egyptian cabinet, the country is to remain under partial lockdown for several more weeks, report various local news outlets.

Indeed, the partial lock-down which has been implemented since March, will undergo a slight modification; it is now set from 8 PM to 4 AM.

Moreover, shops and commercial centers are to remain open until 6 PM rather than 5 PM.

The news was announced by Osama Haykal, the Minister of State for Information Affairs, who also announced that the government would maintain its reduction of employees in ministries and government bodies.

Following months in which international travel has been suspended, heavily affecting the country’s tourism sector on which the economy partially depends on, flights and touristic activities are also to resume in governorates with the least percentage of COVID-19 cases starting next month.

These governorates are the Red Sea, Marsa Matrouh and South Sinai according to Al Ahram. Conversely, Cairo, Giza and Qalioubiya have had the highest COVID-19 infections nationwide.

The only incoming travel the country has seen is repatriation flights, which saw at least 15,000 Egyptians repatriated from countries around the world since the start of the pandemic.

Egyptian health authorities have abolished all COVID-19 testing at airports across the country less than a day after 105 overseas arrivals tested positive for COVID-19, earlier this week.

Gradually, since the Eid Al Fitr holiday, hotels have been resuming normal operations although at limited occupancy capacity.

However, parks and beaches – popular areas of entertainment and recreation during the summer in Egypt – are to remain closed.

Currently, cases have reached 38,000 in Egypt, with a death toll of 1342. Worldwide, cases have reached 7 million worldwide, with the most amount of cases in the US, Brazil, Russia and the UK, and with a global death toll of 417,000.