Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aaty, has said he is in good health and his ministry is taking all precautionary measures to prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) infections.
The minister’s statements come following his meeting with Daqahleya governor Ayman Mokhtar, who announced on Monday that he tested positive for the virus only hours after meeting with Abdel Aaty.
In a statement on Monday, the ministry said that all required precautionary measures were taken during the meeting, including wearing surgical masks, gloves, and undertaking social distancing.
Abdel Aaty’s office will be sterilised and disinfected, with all those who attended the meeting or who were in direct contact with the minister following the meeting will be tested for the coronavirus.
For his part, Abdel Aaty and other workers at the ministry who received the Daqahleya governor will also undergo medical tests as a precaution.
Talking to private TV channel Sada Al-Balad on Monday evening, Mokhtar said that he is in stable condition. He added that he started experiencing virus symptoms shortly before Iftar. His condition gradually worsened until he felt it necessary to undertake a test for the virus, which came back positive.
The Daqahleya governorate’s Director of Environmental Affairs has also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Over the past week, Mokhtar has also met with Minister of Military Production Mohamed Al-Assar at his office in Cairo, and with Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy.
