Daily COVID-19 roundup: July 19

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Here are the latest figures on COVID-19 as of Saturday, July 18:

What were officials saying about COVID-19 over the weekend?

“We have at least six months ahead of us”— Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO Director for the Eastern Mediterranean

“It is important not to rush to announce passing peak because we are still in the first phase of the virus’ spread”— Dr. Amgad El-Khouly, WHO epidemiologist

“We have passed the peak in infections and are currently studying the possibility of a second wave” - Dr. Gihad al-Assal, deputy head of the Scientific Committee to Combat Coronavirus

“There’s a decrease in the number of infections, but we don’t know what’ll happen tomorrow” - Dr. Hala Zayed, health minister

Somewhat out of step with what the World Health Organization had said on Thursday, Egypt’s Dr. Gihad al-Assal told the DMC TV channel on Saturday evening that “Egypt has passed its peak phase.”

Al-Assal’s comments lacked the caution advised by the WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. During a Thursday press conference, WHO epidemiologist Dr. Amgad al-Khouly said that although infections are decreasing in a number of countries, states should not rush to announce that they have passed the peak in infections.

Al-Assal nevertheless gave a remarkably optimistic interview to Al-Youm show anchor Sara Hazem, even hoping that “Egypt will not have a second wave.” Al-Assal added that some of the hospitals that were repurposed to serve exclusively as isolation facilities are now returning to their normal remits.

Regional Director Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari meanwhile said at the WHO presser that COVID-19 will remain a major health concern for at least the next six months and will continue into next year. Al-Mandhari also stressed the importance of transparency around sharing COVID-19 information, adding that one country’s failure to share data could harm other countries’ efforts.

Coexistence with COVID-19

Regardless of which wave of infections Egypt’s on, the Tourism Ministry remains keen on attracting foreign tourists to enjoy the surf and the sands of South Sinai, the Red Sea and Matrouh.

Tourism Minister Khaled al-Anany was pushing on Saturday for a greater influx from Belarus, whose tourists have already begun to visit the coastal cities where tourism is allowed in Egypt since the borders reopened to foreign visitors on July 1.

Anany arrived with a delegation including private sector representatives in Minsk to meet with the Belrusian minister for tourism, sports and travel agencies. For its part, the Belarusian side was keen for Nile cruise trips to resume tours of archaeological sites in Aswan and Luxor, according to coverage from the privately owned Al-Mal news website.

Nile cruises have been suspended in many governorates since March, when an outbreak on a boat in Luxor yielded 45 cases of coronavirus that included both tourists and local workers.  

In the meantime, 31 more hotels got their hygiene safety certificates from the government over the weekend, qualifying them to open up to tourists with a 50 percent cap on capacity. As of yesterday, the total number of certified hotels reached 572. 

Though foreign tourists have been coming in since July 1, the Chamber of Tourism was complaining last week that there aren’t enough for companies to reap a profit. The sector’s received a three-month extension on tax payments with no late fees; a full six-month real estate tax holiday; and LE3 billion has been set aside at the central bank for soft loans to tourist establishments with interest rates at just 5 percent. Yet restaurants and cafes catering to tourists have still said it's proving costly for them to stay afloat.

 A representative from the Chamber of Tourism also expressed frustration about the LE3 billion loan initiative on Saturday, saying that the requirements mean companies can’t benefit from the loans. The conditions stipulate that 85 percent of the loan must go to workers, leaving only 15 percent of the funding for maintenance and operating expenses. The representative said the restrictions are preventing companies from getting back on their feet and being able to replace stock which they had to dispose of while tourist establishments were under lockdown, claiming that 85 percent was too large a proportion and exceeded the cost of salaries. 

 Attempting to help out with staff retention in tourism, the Labor Force Ministry’s emergency fund has also paid the base salary of around 196,000 regular workers in the sector, according to Saturday coverage from Al-Mal.

The ministry’s fund, which is financed via social insurance payments, has paid the salaries of almost 295,000 regular workers across companies in various sectors that have struggled due to the pandemic. Around 77,000 workers in the textile and weaving sector have received the payments, while more companies and facilities are in the process of signing up to have their workers paid from the emergency fund, the Labor Force Ministry has said.

Also commenting on labor policy during the “coexistence with coronavirus” phase, reassurance that workers taking paid leave will keep their salaries was forthcoming from the Cabinet on Thursday, which denied rumors of salary cuts.

Amid ongoing precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, employees with chronic conditions and mothers with young children have been allowed to take paid leave since March, with the government delegating to government agencies, ministries and companies the decision about whether to continue offering paid leave to workers in early June. Despite the provision, some mothers have struggled to balance work and childcare, as this piece from Manassa has explored.

Who cares for healthcare workers?

Minya’s Health Directorate has announced that a nurse named Shorouk Mohamed died of COVID-19 over the weekend. Mohamed was receiving treatment at the Samalout Central Hospital.