Since the Coronavirus pandemic reached the Middle East, Egypt has been one of the few countries that did not implement a full lockdown. The country did implement a curfew, which changed several times, but never a 24-hour lockdown.
Recently, the number of new cases has been increasing rapidly, with more than 450 new cases announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population daily, and the total number reaching 9,400 as of Sunday. Consequently, Egyptians on social media have been calling on the government to impose a strict, full lockdown to avoid any unwanted crisis in the country, in case the numbers keep rising.
Since Saturday, a letter signed by Dr Hussein Khairy, President of the Egyptian Medical Syndicate, and Dr Sherine Ghaleb, President of the Medical Syndicate in Cairo, has been circulating on Facebook. The letter was directed to Dr Mostafa Madbouly, Egypt’s Prime Minister, and suggested that the government impose a nation-wide lockdown for two weeks.
Hours later, during a phone conversation on the “Hadret Al-Mowaten” TV program, Dr Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din, Presidential Adviser for Health Affairs, stated that the government may impose a full lockdown if the numbers reach a certain threshold.
