Egypt’s Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly called on the different ministries to start implementing a plan to control and rationalize expenditures in order to face the difficult economic repercussions of COVID-19.
During a virtual Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Madbouly discussed measures taken by the government to prepare for the post-crisis phase, noting that the number of Egyptians returning from abroad was expected to exceed 16,000 people.
The Cabinet also approved a draft-decision to exempt medical equipment and supplies used to counter the pandemic from procurement fees.
The Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement and Medical Supplies will benefit from the exemption, as it is the entity that supplies quarantines and hospitals that treat Covid-19 patients with their relevant needs.
Dr. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population, presented the latest update on the outbreak of the virus in Egypt.
She noted that recovery rates were the highest among the age group of 30-39 years (318 recoveries), followed by the 40-49 age group (288 recoveries).
Zayed emphasized that the action plan adopted by her ministry was partly aimed at curbing the spread of infection among citizens within health facilities, while providing basic health services during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, Parliament announced that 11 deputies were in home quarantine, after being in contact with MP Sherine Farraj, whose infection with the virus was confirmed on Tuesday.
