Back to the complete issue
Thursday, 30 April 2020

Egypt draws up plans to “coexist” with covid-19 in the long term

The government is drawing up plans to “coexist” with covid-19 in the long term, saying there is currently “no end in sight” to the outbreak, according to a cabinet statement. Health Minister Hala Zayed presented to cabinet yesterday her ministry’s proposal that would see the government significantly ease restrictions and gradually reopen the economy while still adhering to “precautionary medical guidelines.”

The plan wouldn’t see a complete return to normalcy, but is meant to give businesses and government services space to operate and fire up the economy again. Zayed said the government would push for an increased reliance on electronic payments and services to avoid physical crowding, while places labeled as "high risk" for the spread of the virus — which were not specified in the statement — will remain closed.

Zayed didn’t say when this plan would come into effect, but our guess is the government is shooting for right after Ramadan. Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly has relaxed some covid-19 restrictions for the duration of the holy month, including shortening the nighttime curfew, and suggested at the time we could see a “gradual” return to normal life after Ramadan.

Nothing is set in stone: The government will review the plan and amend it as needed every two weeks based on how the situation progresses, the statement notes.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.