Egypt to shorten curfew, operate flights to coastal cities: Min.

CAIRO – 11 June 2020: The Egyptian government will reduce curfew hours nationwide to start on 8 P.M. and end on 4 A.M. instead of 5 A.M., starting Sunday, June 14th, said State Minister of Media and Information Osama Heikal.

Egypt has so far reported 38,284 coronavirus cases, 1,342 deaths due to the novel virus and 10,289 recoveries.

Domestic tourism and flights to coastal cities will be back starting July 1, Heikal said, while public gardens and beaches will continue to be closed in all governorates until June 30.

The Egyptian state has set a plan to restore all activities in the country step by step, the state minister said.

The state is also considering reopening worship places in the governorates impacted least by coronavirus (COVID-19) starting July, he added.

Commercial centers and shops nationwide will be allowed to open daily until 6 P.M. instead of 5 P.M.



In short, the new decisions are:

- Shortening curfew to start from 8 P.M. to 4 A.M starting June 14.
- Continuing closing public gardens and beaches for the rest of the month.
- Extending working hours for shops to end at 6 P.M.
- Resuming tourism and flights to some governorates.
- Considering opening mosques and churches starting July in some governorates.
- Holding Thanaweya Amma (third year of secondary school) finals on time (June 21) and applying measures to secure students and staff
- Allowing clubs to collect membership fees between June 15 to June 30

Health Minister Hala Zayed on Wednesday said the rate of increase in coronavirus infection in the country is still within the safe range compared to other countries with similar population.

In a meeting with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli, Zayed said the number of critical coronavirus cases has decreased and the rate of death with the novel virus has been stable. She added that recoveries have also increased.

Zayed also discussed updates of the ministry’s strategy in dealing with coronavirus, including extracting plasma from recovered cases, to treat patients with critical condition. She affirmed that plasma therapy has proved to be effective.