CAIRO – 16 April 2020: Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli announced Tuesday, complete closure of public gardens and beaches next Monday, which markes Sham el-Nessim holiday.
During a press conference, Madbouli said that all public transportation will be suspended during the day, including Cairo Metro and National Railways.
“We understand the Egyptians desire to celebrate the holiday; however, these decisions come for the favor of Egyptians amid fears of Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.” Madbouli said.
He added that the government aims to reduce social gatherings as possible which will eliminate the spread of Covid 19.
Madbouli explained that “the government has been discussing these Easter decisions during the past three days, in order to maintain the currant situation and not to witness any deterioration during the coming days.”
“However, we were worried after seeing that Egyptians were gathering in the streets during the past days” Madbouli added, explaining the need of announcing Easter’s complete closure decisions.
He said, “Therefore, we preferred to take more firm measures, including expanding the complete closure on cafes and shopping malls until Monday. Additionally, we will close all gardens, beaches and any places that might witness social gatherings. We also decided to suspend all public transportations.”
Madbouli wished all Egyptians happy holidays, and urged them to avoid gatherings in order to stay safe.
On Wednesday, many governorates announced number of decisions during Sham el-Nessim holiday amid fears of coronavirus spread.
Governor of Daqahlia Ayman Mokhtar announced the complete closure of the coastal city of Gamasa, the city of May 15, Sheikh Zayed, and the new Mansoura city, as of Wednesday and for 10 days, banning any citizens from travelling to the city.
“This decision comes out of our keenness to preserve the health of citizens amid the novel COVID-19 outbreak,” Mokhtar said in a statement, adding that they aim at preventing gatherings in the summer resort during Sham El-Nessim.
Also, Damietta Governor Manal Awad directed locking Ras El-Bar costal city down and banning any citizens from entering the governorate, unless they are residents.
Awad announced the suspension of the movement of ferries that link the cities of Ras al-Bar and Izbat al-Burj, as well as closing all public parks and gardens in the city for a week to reduce gatherings, as part of the preventive and precautionary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus and maintain the safety of citizens.
Moreover, all hotels and tourist villages inside the cities of Marsa Matrouh, El-Dabaa and El-Alamein were notified with the necessity of abiding by the government's directions regarding banning public gatherings and sticking to the night-time curfew.
Governor of Marsa Matrouh Khaled Shoaib affirmed that he reviewed with the concerned authorities the closure plan for private and public beaches throughout Sham El-Nessim holiday, as well as closing all cafes and clubs.
Similar instructions were announced in Alexandria, Red Sea, Qalyubia, Minya and Aswan governorates.
A partial curfew in Egypt began on March 25 to last until April 23 as a protective measure against the spread of coronavirus among a bundle of rules that include decreasing the working hours of stores and shopping malls, and the closure of restaurants and cafes. The Egyptian Armed Forces sterilized Al-Azhar Street, Al-Hussein Square, and the area surrounding Al-Hussein Mosque.
CAIRO - 15 April 2020: Amid fears of coronavirus spread, the Egyptian government directed the closure of all beaches, gardens, tourist villages and all the public facilities where people usually celebrate on Sham El-Nessim (spring holiday).
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