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Africa News of Tuesday, 24 March 2020

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Egypt declares nationwide curfew for two-weeks

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly of Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly of Egypt

The Egyptian Government has announced a two-week curfew starting on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. to counter the spread of coronavirus.

Egypt, as of March 24, has recorded a total of 366 cases of coronavirus, and 19 deaths out of a global record of 392,952 infections and 17,151 deaths.

There will be a strict penalty for violators under the country’s emergency laws, the prime minister said.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly added that the closure of schools and universities which have been in place since March 15 will be extended for a further two weeks.

Citizens should also note the following that:


  • public or private transportation will operate during the curfew.


  • all shops will close between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. Exceptions are supermarkets, grocery shops and pharmacies.


  • all restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues will shut down.


  • all civil service departments will shut down except for those operating in the health sector.


  • gymnastics centres and sports/social clubs will shut down.



According to Reuters, Most public services and government offices will close their doors to the public during the curfew period and a measure to limit the number of government employees going to work will be prolonged until mid-April.

A total of one billion Egyptian pounds ($63.69 million) has been allocated to the health ministry to help it provide supplies, a statement from the cabinet office said.

"We have to take further protective measures against coronavirus pandemic...We aspire to not have to resort to the 3rd scenario by recording 1,000 infection cases or at least slow down the pace towards such scenario...All measures are ready but we’re cautious with the timing to not harm the living conditions of certain social segments or the economy," the prime minister stated at the beginning of the conference.

After declaring the measures, the prime minister stressed, "I urge citizens to decrease their movement between governorates. Public Enterprise companies are also ordered to reduce the movement of employees between governorates."

"While in any service venue, I urge citizens to leave a distance and to not crowd,” the prime minister added then addressed youth saying, “Youth have to understand that they may cause harm to the elderly in their family if they don’t exercise caution.

"I thank all medical workers for what they’re doing in this war and advise citizens to be understanding in how they treat them," Madbouly concluded.

Reuters/EgyptToday