Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly ordered on Wednesday the full closure of all public parks, beaches and other gathering places during the coming holidays to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
April 19 and 20 mark respectively the Coptic Easter and the traditional Egyptian spring holiday of Sham El-Nessim, which are often celebrated with family outings to parks or other outdoor excursions.
Madbouly urged the governors of the coastal provinces and the Delta cities “to curb … any violations of the decision,” state-run Ahram online reported.
The cabinet said earlier in April that all shops and restaurants would be completely shut on Sham El-Nessim.
Meanwhile, the country’s Ministry of Endowment (religious affairs) said in a statement on Wednesday that “Egypt’s mosques will remain closed until no new coronavirus cases are detected.”
Egypt on Tuesday reported its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases with 160 new infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,350 with 178 deaths. Enditem
