The Egyptian Government yesterday lifted restrictions on the hospitality industry, almost a month after their initial introduction. Most hospitality venues will be able to stay open from 7am-11pm on weekdays and until midnight on weekends; coffee shops will be allowed to open from 5am-1am seven days a week. On 6 May, the government imposed a curfew on opening times for malls, wedding venues, cafes, and restaurants. Under the rules, venues were forced to close at 9pm every day; a mask mandate was also renewed with stricter enforcement in public buildings and on public transport. These rules followed the closure of public parks and beaches in late April for the Sham El Nessim holiday. The measures were some of the toughest to be enforced in the country since the strict lockdown in early 2020, and came after a worrying rise in infections over the course of April, which some linked to the increase in gatherings over the month of Ramadan. Their introduction came just before the Eid festivities, with the aim of curbing transmission of COVID-19 during and after the festival. There is evidence that the new rules had the desired…
