Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday announced a new set of measures aiming to curb the spread of the second wave of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The most important of which are the allocation of EGP 1bn for COVID-related spending, preparing a nation-wide vaccine roll-out plan, and prohibiting wedding ceremonies and cultural events in indoor venues.
The PM also stressed that violators of coronavirus precautionary measures will be instantly fined, adding that the government decided to reduce workforce attendance for government employees, as well as postponing sport clubs’ general assembly meetings for six months.
Also Tuesday, Madbouly asserted the importance of boosting cooperation with Iraq and Jordan, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi directed for accelerating the tripartite partnership.
During a cabinet meeting, Madbouly called for the Egyptian contracting companies to expand in the Iraqi market, as part of the Egyptian government’s support to Iraq’s reconstruction efforts.
Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said that Iraq has proposed several oil exploration and reconstruction joint projects with Egypt, and new agreements will be signed to this end.
Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Assem El-Gazzar said that the Arab Contractors company has been assigned to quickly evaluate the Iraqi construction projects, in order to start the implementation phase as soon as possible.
Moreover, Madbouly discussed the structural reforms in the Egyptian economy, which aim to develop the business environment and increase the role of the private sector.
The structural reforms also aim at ensuring the flexibility of the labour market, raising the efficiency of vocational training, developing human capital, achieving financial inclusion and access to finance, and achieving governance, he added.
In a different context, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the new National Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructure, noting that it will help all governorates to combat building violations and informal settlements.
As for the healthcare file, Minister of Health and Population Hala Zayed said that her ministry directed for increasing the production of liquid oxygen which serves a plethora of medical needs, including COVID-19 patients.
She stated that Cairo and Alexandria recorded the highest COVID-19 infection rates across Egypt, adding that the country’s consumption of liquid oxygen increased from 400,000 to 500,000 litres per day.
Zayed added that the ministry is working to increase the liquid oxygen production to 70,000 litres per day.
