The nation’s talking heads continued saying the C-word on the airwaves last night, while the government’s plan to convert thousands of cars to run on natural gas also got a look-in.

Follow covid protocol or close, Saad tells shop owners: Cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad warned shop and mall owners that they will be forced to close for three days if they allow members of the public onto their premises without a face mask during an interview with Al Hayah Al Youm’s Mohamed Sherdy. Saad suggested that this is especially important now, given the public are about to descend on shops and malls around the country to take advantage of discounts season (watch, runtime: 6:49), Masaa DMC’s Ramy Radwan also had coverage (watch, runtime: 4:25).

New opening hours for shops, malls, restaurants and cafes will come into force on 1 December, Saad told Salat El Tahrir’s Azza Moustafa, adding that the government will announce the changes in a few days (watch, runtime: 13:24). We have our fingers crossed that the plan has gone through a few redrafts: the plan trial ballooned on the airwaves last week seems overly complex, and would force businesses to close at different times depending on the time of year, where in the country they’re based, and what services they provide.

Natgas auto conversion plans: Sherdy interviewed Abd El Fattah Farhat, the head of the Egyptian International Gas Technology Company (GASTEC), who said that the government plans to convert 264k cars to run on natural gas in the coming two years. This comes a few days after Oil Minister Tarek El Molla told the Adipec oil and gas conference that the country plans to have 590k cars running on natural gas by 2023. The government will expand its network of gas stations by two-thirds, establishing an additional 400 stations by 2023. Drivers with cars under 20 years’ old will not be forced to convert their vehicles, he said, adding that loan facilities are available to help people cover the EGP 5-7k cost of fitting a natgas engine. The government’s ambitious long-term plan aims to convert 1.8 mn vehicles to run on natural gas at a cost of EGP 320 bn (watch, runtime: 21:24).