Egypt Ratchets Up Restrictions in Stations, Schools, Mosques

Second from the left Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a meeting (photo courtesy of the cabinet official Facebook page)
Second from the left Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a meeting (photo courtesy of the cabinet official Facebook page)
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Egypt Ratchets Up Restrictions in Stations, Schools, Mosques

Second from the left Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a meeting (photo courtesy of the cabinet official Facebook page)
Second from the left Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly during a meeting (photo courtesy of the cabinet official Facebook page)

Egypt has tightened anti-virus restrictions in stations, schools, and mosques and threatened to punish violators.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly affirmed the necessity of adhering to the precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus, warning that the second wave of the pandemic is harder than the previous one.

During a virtual cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Madbouly stressed that all concerned bodies should apply all these measures strictly at all work and production sites amid the rise in infection rates witnessed these days. He ordered tightening campaigns on places that violate the precautionary measures, and impose penalties stipulated in the law and in the cabinet’s decisions in this regard.

Moreover, the minister called for reducing crowding at public workplaces, giving governmental entities and ministries discretion and flexibility to determine, upon work conditions, the needed number of employees.

Egyptian National Railways emphasized that passengers can’t access stations without facemasks.

In an effort to prevent the spread of the virus among school students, Education Minister Tarek Shawki ordered teachers and students to follow strict precautionary measures, including the wearing of facemasks throughout the school day.

The Health Ministry said in a statement that 275 new coronavirus cases were detected, upping the total number of confirmed cases in Egypt since the beginning of the outbreak to 111,284.

The Ministry said 16 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 6,481. Meanwhile, the number of recovered cases reached 101,288 so far.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.