Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi expressed satisfaction over measures taken by his country to confront the spread of COVID-19.
"As I followed-up around the clock on all efforts and measures taken to confront the spread of coronavirus, I believe that what has been achieved so far is good and reassuring,” Sisi wrote on Twitter Tuesday.
He also urged both the authorities and Egyptians to continue to “firmly” implement measures being taken to stem the spread of the deadly virus.
The Egyptian authorities have taken gradual steps since the announcement of the first coronavirus case in the country on March 05. It suspended schools and universities, canceled exams, halted air traffic, and imposed a partial curfew.
Egypt registered a total of 656 cases and 41 deaths, while 150 people had recovered from isolation hospitals.
Minister of State for Information Osama Haikal said Egypt may not need to enter the third stage to control the spread of coronavirus due to the precautionary measures imposed.
Haikal told Asharq Al-Awsat that most of the cases in the country were due to contact with cases coming from abroad.
Many criticized the health sector for not performing enough tests to detect coronavirus cases, however, the minister said Egypt is following the same standards as other countries around the world by testing cases that have a fever of 38 degrees or showing other symptoms.
Meanwhile, the North Sinai governorate has closed its markets as part of the measures taken by the state to confront the virus, despite the fact there hasn’t been any cases there yet.
Undersecretary of the Health Ministry in North Sinai Tarek Shouka told Asharq Al-Awsat that closing the markets is intended to prevent overcrowding, and increase awareness by avoiding packed markets, especially since the governorate has no cases to date.
The Undersecretary stated that all hospitals and operations rooms in North Sinia are prepared and have taken precautionary measures, adding that Bir al-Abd Hospital was set for medical isolation. In addition, several beds have been set for medical isolation in al-Arish, Sheikh Zuwayed, and Nakhl hospitals.
