Medhat Ibrahim, 33, decided to close his phone accessories shop in Giza (West Cairo) and move to another cheaper place in his village, after he was unable to settle the accumulated debts and the monthly rent of 4,000 EGP.
By adapting to the closure decisions and precautionary measures imposed by the government authorities to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, Ibrahim tries to compensate for his losses and achieve a profit margin, which would enable him to cater for his family, pay the monthly rent of the store along with the electricity bill.
“The maintenance of mobile phones and selling new devices, along with their accessories, is not essential during the current period in which people are interested in securing their food and purchasing needs in the first place,” Ibrahim told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Egypt was famous for the continued opening of some of its malls, shops, nightclubs and cafes, especially in the Egyptian capital, until the early morning hours, despite the government’s recommendations for the necessity of an early closure in order to save electricity and provide rest for the population like other countries.
Last March, the Egyptian authorities decided to close all restaurants, night clubs and health centers, swimming pools, and cafes, as well as museums, tourist and archaeological sites.
In mid-June, the Egyptian authorities allowed to extend the period of work for stores for one hour per day, with the continued closure of cafes, night clubs, cinemas, mosques and churches, excluding grocery stores, pharmacies and bakeries.
The pandemic has slowed many Egyptian economic activities, especially the tourism and industry sectors, as well as the wholesale and retail trade sectors.
According to Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maiit, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the country’s revenues and expenditures. In a telephone interview with Al-Arabiya channel on Monday, the minister said that the virus reduced by 125 billion EGP, the expected revenues for the state budget in the current fiscal year.
Arafa Saeed, 34, owner of a hardware store in Cairo, told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Before the outbreak of the virus, wholesale stores in the mobile market in Al-Attar Street in central Cairo maintained a weekly vacation each Sunday; but now the situation changed completely as all stores canceled their weekly leave in order to compensate for their losses.”
