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Egypt announces new measures to curb third coronavirus wave

May 6, 2021 at 1:10 pm

Egyptians get tested for Covid-19 at a drive-through coronavirus-testing centre in Cairo, Egypt on 29 June 2020 [KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images]

Egypt has announced a series of new measures to try and slow the rise of infection rates across the country as the third wave of the pandemic engulfs the country.

Authorities have announced they will limit opening hours for shopping centres and restaurants for a fortnight.

Shops must close by 9pm under the new measures whilst concerts and other large gatherings are banned.

Parks and beaches will be closed for Eid between 12 and 16 May.

Egypt implemented a series of measures during the beginning of the pandemic, including closing its airspace and implementing a nightly curfew, though it has mostly stayed open since then.

The announcement follows a series of articles revealing that this year’s Ramadan restaurants, Sohour tents, concerts and markets have been packed with people with little social distancing.

READ: Egypt on the brink as third covid wave engulfs the country

Ramadan 2020 is when Egypt hit the peak of its first wave despite calls for the government to enforce preventative measures.

Earlier this week the doctor’s union announced that the number of doctors who have died from covid in Egypt has now hit 500.

Several officials and public figures have suggested that the real number of infections and the death toll could be as much as ten times higher than the statistics the Ministry of Health is releasing.

Social media users have spoken out about the government’s misinformation campaign and the fact that it has blamed doctors for contracting the virus whilst socialising.

Health Minister Hala Zayed has said that the reason not enough health care workers are vaccinated is because they have refused to take the jab.

In a recent report on the situation in Sohag Governorate, where infection rates are soaring, it was revealed that there were only three vaccination centres serving the province’s 5.5 million population.