Egypt Eases COVID-19 Restrictions

A tourist wears a protective mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, during his visit to Luxor Temple in Egypt, March 9, 2020. (Reuters)
A tourist wears a protective mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, during his visit to Luxor Temple in Egypt, March 9, 2020. (Reuters)
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Egypt Eases COVID-19 Restrictions

A tourist wears a protective mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, during his visit to Luxor Temple in Egypt, March 9, 2020. (Reuters)
A tourist wears a protective mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus, during his visit to Luxor Temple in Egypt, March 9, 2020. (Reuters)

The Egyptian government has started easing restrictions that were imposed to fight COVID-19 three months ago.

The new measures allow receiving customers at cafes, restaurants, and similar facilities until midnight. They also include shutting down the stores and shopping malls at 10 pm, and increasing the occupancy of cafes, and restaurants to 50 percent up from 25 percent.

Further, holding conferences and meetings is now allowed but with a maximum of 50 participants and with a limit of 100 people.

However, the government insisted on keeping occupancy at cinemas 25 percent and banning prayer of Eid al-Adha in squares.

Egypt has recorded 511 new COVID-19 infections, leaving the total of cases registered in the country since mid-February at 91,583, said the Egyptian Health Ministry.

In a statement, the Health Ministry said 40 patients died from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 4,558. Also, 933 patients were cured and discharged from hospitals, raising the total number of recoveries in the country to 32,903.

Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Mohamed Saafan said that 1,285 Egyptian workers in Kuwait are returning through eight flights that kicked off Sunday.



G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Foreign Ministers from the G7 democracies on Tuesday upped the pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement."

In a draft statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Italy, the G7 ministers urged Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians, and condemned increasing settler violence in the West Bank, Reuters reported.

The ministers also condemned recent attack on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and expressed their support for the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying it plays a "vital role."