Since President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi took office in 2014, he has spoken repeatedly about an initiative that has not been understood by many people, an initiative called “Together We Can”.
President Al-Sisi regularly repeats this sentence “Together We Can”.
During the inauguration of the New Suez Canal in August 2015, he said, “Together we can overcome and make for our country a glory worthy of it, and a history that future generations can be proud of and our way towards that is to unite around the country and line up for it.”
Since the coronavirus crisis started looming on the horizon, we find that President Al-Sisi has moved according to several pillars, as follows.
The first pillar
He listened with great interest to well-qualified and experienced people. He is aware of the dimensions of the crisis, so a decision was taken to appoint Dr Mohamed Awad Tag El Din as an advisor to the President of the Republic for health affairs. Al-Sisi also began making a wise plan to manage the crisis.
Al-Sisi’s perfect anti-coronavirus plan springs from a complete understanding of all aspects of the crisis, both domestically and internationally.
The second pillar
To ensure the implementation of updated treatment protocols and the highest standards in infection control, President Al-Sisi has ensured all medical needs and supplies are provided to isolation hospitals. He has also ensured the provision of sufficient manpower in combating the virus.
The president has stressed the need to intensify awareness campaigns to correct some citizens’ misconceptions regarding the coronavirus. These misconceptions could lead to some avoiding being tested or seeking medical care for fear of being subjected to social exclusion, which increases their risk of infection.
He instructed the Ministry of Defence to provide the necessary support to citizens in confronting the virus, whilst providing the food commodities that meet their basic needs.
One of the first measures taken by the Armed Forces, was to have their Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid, inspect the Al-Nasr Intermediate Chemicals Company in Abu Rawash. This was to follow up on the measures taken by the company’s management to ensure its readiness and ability to implement all tasks.
These tasks include producing disinfection and sterilisation materials according to international standards and which were approved by the Ministry of Health.
In a related context, the National Service Projects Organization has stepped up to give the local market a boost. The solutions used in the disinfection and sterilisation work, as well as the food commodities that meet the demands of Egyptian families, were kept at reasonable prices through General Services Authority outlets. The fixed and mobile national service projects also ensured that no monopolising practices were taking place.
The third pillar
Spreading a spirit of reassurance and positivity among people using patriotic songs played from vehicles with loudspeakers that roam Egypt’s streets to discourage anxiety and panic.
The fourth pillar
President Al-Sisi stressed the importance of resuming work in different state institutions, to ensure production does not face issues for the sake of saving the Egyptian economy.
This is to ensure that people will not be subjected to any crises regarding food and basic commodities.
Since the beginning of the crisis, anxiety has been evident among several countries’ leaders, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson who stated, “Get ready to lose loved ones before their time.”
French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe, anticipated that the health situation due to the coronavirus would be more difficult in the first half of next April. He stressed, in statements to the media, that the fight against the coronavirus is only at its beginnings.
Since the emergence of the pandemic, Egypt has been providing material, moral and humanitarian assistance to countries, even after the virus had crossed onto its shores. The Egyptian state is still thinking about the welfare of other countries, and extending a helping hand, having sent aid to China, Italy, the UK, and theUS.
It is clear that President Al-Sisi has given the world a lesson in crisis management. The world is begging Egypt to save it from the coronavirus pandemic, with great powers having fallen before the dreaded virus. Egypt has, however, remained steadfast.
It has sent packages of medical aid to the US to help it tackle the virus, according to a spokesman from the Egyptian presidency.
Al-Sisi has also ensured full coordination between hospital universities and the Ministry of Health in facing the coronavirus crisis.
More recently, the Sudanese government praised Egypt for sending urgent medical supplies to help it combat the ongoing outbreak in the country, Sudanese Minister of Culture and Information Faisal Saleh said in a statement. President Al-Sisi had instructed for the dispatch of four military planes carrying medical supplies to Sudan to help the country in its fight against the virus.
Dr. Mohamed Shendy is a Professor of Otolaryngology at the Faculty of Medicine, Benha University. He has written many internationally published research papers, and has appeared in the International Journal of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery , the Journal of American Science and the Journal of Nature and Science (JNSCI).
