Chinese Ambassador to Cairo: ‘We will send medical aid to Egypt’

Chinese ambassador to Cairo, Liao Liqiang, announced on Thursday that his country will soon be providing a batch of medical supplies to Egypt, in response to the Egyptian government’s efforts to help China confront the coronavirus pandemic.

In a press interview, Liqiang disclosed that Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed was the first foreign official to visit China during their war against the virus, following its spread across the country.

The Chinese ambassador added:

My country has undergone some improvements in recent days, and we recorded a few cases of infection from abroad, but not from within the territory.

Read: Egypt’s COVID-19 response delayed, trains remain overcrowded

He pointed out that life in the city of Wuhan, the source of the virus outbreak, has resumed some semblance of normality, as public transportation has restarted and all travel restrictions to and from the city are expected to be lifted on 8 April.

Last March, the Egyptian minister of health went to China carrying medical supplies, which sparked a wave of criticism, as many believe that the Egyptian hospitals are in urgent need for these supplies due to acute shortages.

On Thursday, the Egyptian government announced the increase of infection cases with the coronavirus to 850, after 71 new infections were recorded, in the largest daily toll since the outbreak of the virus.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly indicated that the daily records of infections with the virus are expected to rise next week, calling on citizens to fully comply with the government’s preventive measures to combat COVID-19.

Read: Egyptians call for presidential palaces to become coronavirus quarantine centres