Egypt announced “precautionary measures” to combat the spread of the coronavirus and a possible second wave of the pandemic in the advent of the new school year that kicks off on 17 October.
The Health Ministry set a series of measures to raise awareness among students and staff on the proper way to wash hands, wear face masks, maintain an appropriate distance when queuing, follow a healthy nutrition system, and practice sports activities at home.
On Wednesday night, Egypt announced 175 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 100,403. The death toll stood at 5,577 after recording 17 new fatalities.
An additional 803 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 80,689.
Health Minister Hala Zayed said Thursday that the ministry’s precautionary department has set a number of rules to contain the spread of the coronavirus in schools including hand-washing and mask-wearing, physical distancing, and proper ventilation of classrooms.
Zayed was speaking during a campaign on dealing with coronavirus once schools and universities resume. The plan was prepared in collaboration with the Education Ministry and the supervision of the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
“There is complete coordination between all Egyptian ministries and the crisis committee at the government to take special measures for the return of a safe academic year based on international rules, in a way that protects students, their families, and teachers,” Zayed said.
For his part, Egypt’s Minister of Education Tarek Shawky said that the ministry has called for a number of measures to minimize the possibility of COVID-19 transmission.
In Egypt, the beginning of the academic year has been pushed back from September to October due to the pandemic.
UNICEF representative in Egypt Jeremy Hopkins said UNICEF and WHO are committed to support the Egyptian government and the Health Ministry in their serious measures to safely reopen schools in the country.
Egypt has 23 million school students classified into four stages: from kindergarten to secondary education.
