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Egypt's Awqaf Urges Citizens to Abide by Coronavirus Precautions

Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. (AFP)
Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. (AFP)
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Egypt's Awqaf Urges Citizens to Abide by Coronavirus Precautions

Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. (AFP)
Egyptians gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 8, 2020. (AFP)

Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) warned citizens against defying the preventive measures in place to help limit the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

The ministry urged all Egyptians to adhere to all precautions announced by the health authorities, namely maintaining social distance and wearing masks at all gatherings, public places and means of transportation.

It emphasized, in a statement Monday, the importance of adhering to the measures at all mosques and keeping all shrines closed during these times.

It stressed that mosques should only be open during prayer times, and Friday sermons must be limited to ten minutes.

The ministry called on all advocacy and supervisory bodies in all directorates to closely monitor citizens' adherence to the measures, warning that any person violating them will be held accountable.

The Health Ministry confirmed 358 new coronavirus cases on Monday, as the country’s total reached 115,541, including 102,596 recoveries. It announced 15 deaths, bringing the fatalities to 6,636 nationwide.

The ministry said it was increasing its readiness all over the country to follow the epidemiological situation first-hand, stressing that it is taking all necessary preventive measures against any viruses or infectious diseases.

In addition, the Minister of Health Hala Zayed announced that the medical teams participating in the "100 Million Healthy Lives" initiative have been trained on approved treatment protocols and various medical equipment.

Over 21.5 million citizens have been tested as part of the initiative launched in 2018, aimed to screen more than 52 million citizens for hepatitis C (HEP. C) and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD).

Zayed explained that safe passages have been designated to guarantee that patients who are COVID-19 positive are not mingling with other patients while entering and exiting hospitals or medical units.

She stressed that all necessary preventive and precautionary measures including social distancing are maintained during the provision of the initiative's services.

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Syrians Recover Human Remains from Site Used by Hezbollah and Other Assad Allies

An aerial view taken with a drone shows members of the Syrian Civil Defense group, the White Helmets, loading human remains in body bags on a truck in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024. (EPA)
An aerial view taken with a drone shows members of the Syrian Civil Defense group, the White Helmets, loading human remains in body bags on a truck in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024. (EPA)
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Syrians Recover Human Remains from Site Used by Hezbollah and Other Assad Allies

An aerial view taken with a drone shows members of the Syrian Civil Defense group, the White Helmets, loading human remains in body bags on a truck in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024. (EPA)
An aerial view taken with a drone shows members of the Syrian Civil Defense group, the White Helmets, loading human remains in body bags on a truck in the Sayyida Zeinab district of Damascus, Syria, 18 December 2024. (EPA)

The Syrian Civil Defense group, known as the White Helmets, uncovered at least 21 corpses as well as incomplete human remains on Wednesday in the Sayyida Zeinab suburb of the capital Damascus.

The discovery was made at a site previously used by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, both allies of deposed President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s civil war.

The site included a field kitchen, a drugstore and a morgue, according to Ammar al-Salmo, an official with the White Helmets, a volunteer organization that operated in areas that were controlled by the opposition.

Rescue teams in white hazmat suits searched the site, located not far from the revered shrine of Sayyida Zeinab. The remains were placed into black bags and loaded onto a truck as bystanders from the neighborhood looked on.

“Some (of the remains) are skeletons, others are incomplete, and there are bags of small bones. We cannot yet determine the number of victims,” al-Salmo said.

“Damascus has become a mass grave,” he said, pointing out the growing reports of war-related graves and burial sites in the capital and other places in Syria.

Iran and Hezbollah provided Assad’s government with military, financial and logistical support during the civil war.