Luxor4u

In a move some might consider a tad premature :


Egypt will reopen restaurants, coffee shops and sporting clubs and will shorten a nighttime curfew imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus to now begin at 12 am and run until 4 am starting Saturday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Tuesday.

In a televised briefing, Madbouly announced relaxed precautionary measures, allowing restaurants, cafes and sporing clubs to reopen at a reduced capacity of 25 percent in the first phase.

Cafes and restaurants will now be allowed to open until 10 pm, while shops will be required to close at 9 pm.

Mosques and churches will also be allowed to reopen for daily prayers and masses as of Saturday, but will remain closed for the weekly services, the prime minister added.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent ... s,-sh.aspx

Unlike the relaxations in the UK announced by Boris today, the Egyptian move does not seem to be supported by any reduction in the rate of infections, deaths etc. It’s more a reflection of the reality of what’s happening on the street......and a continued belief that social distancing has little effect in practice.

Boris has laid great store by the “common sense” of the UK public to respond appropriately to the relaxations and to realise that the virus has not gone away and there could be a resurgence of infections.

Does the word “common sense” translate readily into Arabic?

CURFEW OFFICIALLY CANCELLED STARTING SATURDAY JUNE 27TH

You all read the headline correctly: starting Saturday, June 27th, curfew is officially cancelled. Not just "Starts a few hours later for Ramadan" cancelled, not just "Midnight to 4 in the morning" cancelled. Just straight-up gone. No more. Done with.

Whether or not we're doing away with curfews too soon, it doesn't mean everything is back to the way it was. With malls, restaurants and shops still closing early, it may mean a shift in priorities for how we wander through the night. And since the Coronavirus pandemic is still far from over, wearing face masks continues to be mandatory, with a penalty of imprisonment or a EGP 4,000 fine for anyone who refuses to abide by this rule.

Boris has laid great store by the “common sense” of the UK public to respond appropriately to the relaxations and to realise that the virus has not gone away and there could be a resurgence of infections.

Does the word “common sense” translate readily into Arabic?

It appears it doesn’t mean much to the UK public either going by the scenes on our beaches yesterday.

Rank stupidity is clearly not limited to Egyptians.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Liverpool fans now engage is some kind of celebratory gathering.

You’d think with the saturation coverage of the pandemic on TV and the media since March that the danger of a resurgence in infections would be crystal clear. Apparently not.

And if yesterday’s scenes are repeated, there is every possibility that lockdown will resume....and we’ll only have ourselves to blame. Whatever the FCO says, I’ll be off to enjoy a few weeks in a country where the people aren’t quite so stupid - and, let’s face it, selfish!