Egypt’s government has on Wednesday set limited working hours for shops amid growing coronavirus cases and fears over the third virus wave.
The decision means that, starting from May 6 and valid for two weeks, commercial shops, public restaurants, cafes, workshops, cinemas, and malls will be forced to follow the government’s new opening and closing times.
Under the new regulations, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said in a press conference that commercial shops, public restaurants, cafes, workshops, and malls will close at 7:00 p.m. (5.00 GMT) for two weeks.
Concerts, wedding ceremonies, meetings, conferences, cultural events will be canceled for two weeks starting from Thursday, May 6.
Supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries, and pharmacies are excluded from the regulations, and takeaway and home delivery services will continue to operate 24 hours a day throughout the two weeks.
On Tuesday, Egypt reported 1,090 new coronavirus cases bringing the total infection tally to 231,803 since the outbreak began in February 2020.
The health ministry also recorded 60 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 13,591.
According to the statement, 567 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 173,341.
