Egypt’s Ministry of Health and the regional office of the World Health Organization announced 16 new cases of COVID-19 late Sunday, raising the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country to 126. The new 16 cases include eight Egyptians and eight foreigners who were in contact with previous cases as the ministry is regularly monitoring the spread of the disease across the country. Schools and universities have been shut down for two weeks as of Saturday, and the Egyptian President also announced that EGP 100 billion had been allocated to fight the virus. A total of EGP 187.7 million has been allocated for the Ministry of Health, according to Ahram Online, in addition to EGP 153.5 million for emergency kits and medical supplies to counter the coronavirus, and EGP 34.1 million as bonuses for vulnerable workers and business who will be in quarantine. The Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar also released a statement noting that Muslims are exempted from attending mass prayers at mosques, including Friday prayer. However, mosques throughout the country remain open. The Coptic Orthodox Church also announced the suspension of most of its activities…
