Sisi urges citizens to comply with coronavirus measures, stop overbuying

CAIRO – 22 March 2020: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday called on citizens to show “further discipline” and to comply by health instructions while dealing with the coronavirus crisis, as Egypt has by Saturday reported a total of 294 cases of coronavirus.

In a meeting with a number of Egyptian women as Egypt celebrates its own Women’s Day, as well as some of the ministers including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli and Health Minister Hala Zayed, Sisi asked citizens to stick to instructions and stay at home for two weeks, to overcome the current health crisis and help limit infection.

The president ordered the Ministry of State for Information to raise awareness among people about the coronavirus, including medical instructions.



Sisi said that the authorities, over six years, have been transparent while informing citizens and have disclosed all available information, affirming that some people “always doubt our procedures.”

He affirmed that the state is taking “unprecedented” measures to fight coronavirus and has nothing to hide about the number of those infected with the novel coronavirus.

He referred to the coronavirus cases detected on board the Nile cruise ship in Upper Egypt’s Luxor, saying that authorities have sterilized the ship and tested all persons onboard. The incident took place early in March. Dozens of coronavirus cases on board were confirmed, starting with a Taiwanese-American tourist.



Concerning food and commodity, Sisi said Egypt does not have any shortage in goods currently, urging citizens not to overbuy products as the country already has sufficient reserves of food for at least the next three months.

The president thanked Egyptian youth for the efforts they made to deal with such global crises, which he said has hit 177 countries. He also paid tribute to the medical sector in Egypt, including doctors and nurses, saying that they are “fighting in a battle that is similar to a real war.”



Sisi has earlier ordered allocating LE 100 billion ($6.4 billion), to fund a coronavirus strategy and related precautionary measures.

Nine new coronavirus cases were detected on Saturday, all of them are Egyptians, who were in contact with positive cases, the Health Ministry said.

Two more deaths were confirmed; raising the total number to 10.

The new fatalities were a 68-year-old Egyptian woman and a 75-year-old man. Both of them are from Giza governorate.

Up to 41 coronavirus patients have totally recovered so far, the ministry spokesman said.

In order to curb the spread of the deadly virus, the state decided to close all mosques and Islamic places of worship across Egypt for two weeks starting from March 21, 2020. Also, Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria announced a temporary closure of all churches, and the suspension of all rituals and activities.

In streets, the Egyptian Cabinet ordered the closure of all restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, casinos, night clubs, bars, shopping centers (malls), and other local shops from 7:00 pm (Cairo time) to 6:00 pm across the nation. The decision excludes pharmacies, bakeries, grocery stores, supermarkets, and the delivery service.