Egypt imposes partial curfew over virus
Violators to face Emergency Law penalties
Cairo: Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli on Tuesday announced it will impose a partial curfew across the nation in an effort to contain the spread of the new coronavarius. The curfew will take effect as of Wednesday starting from 7pm (9pm UAE time) until 6am.
He also said that all commercial businesses will be closed down from 5pm and 6am daily with a complete shutdown on Friday and Saturday. Grocery stores and pharmacies are exempted from the order. The premier warned that non-compliance will be punishable by penalties under the Emergency Law.
The penalties begin with a fine of 4,000 Egyptian pounds (Dh952) up to jailing, he told a press conference.
The government also decided to extend by two more weeks the closure of schools and universities across the country, he added. Egypt has recorded a total of 19 deaths from the Covid-19 among 366 cases so far.
The Egyptian government has already taken a series of precautionary steps including the closure of educational institutions, mosques and churches, banning large public gatherings and a halt to flights to the country.