Egypt: Authorities blockade village in Giza Governorate

Authorities have imposed a blockade on another village in Egypt as it moves to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In a statement issued yesterday Giza Governorate has said it will impose a 14-day isolation on El-Meatamdeya village after initially denying what it called “rumours” circulating on social media that the village was about to be quarantined.

Video footage shows the entrances and exits to the village being blocked by police vans. Authorities announced measures to fight the virus through loud speakers.

Egypt has imposed blockades on a number of villages in what it says is an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

READ: Egypt: Al-Hayatam residents protest as security forces blockade village

At the beginning of April residents of Al-Hayatam village in Mahalla protested after security forces erected checkpoints around the village after ten cases of COVID-19 were discovered.

Residents demanded they be allowed to leave so they can go to work since the regime had not given them promised financial support.

A Reuters report published yesterday outlined how Egypt’s informal workers not registered on social insurance rolls are struggling to eat as a result of the COVID-19 measures implemented by the state.

Coronavirus is affecting the world’s economy – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

The government has promised workers 500 Egyptian pounds ($32) a month yet many have not seen this money and others don’t know how to apply to the online scheme.

A third of Egyptians already live below the poverty line and survive on less than $2 a day and the coronavirus, the measures implemented and the lack of government support will only exacerbate this.

READ: 17 medics at Egypt’s cancer institute test positive for coronavirus

Egyptian authorities have isolated villages in ten governorates including the Red Sea, Menoufia, Minya and Port Said.

There are currently 1,450 cases in Egypt and 94 deaths. Canadian researchers have said the figures are likely to be far higher.