Coronavirus: Egypt confirms record highs for new cases and deaths

Egypt posted record daily highs for the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, the latest evidence that the most populous Arab nation’s battle to contain the deadly disease was going through its worst stretch.

In its daily report on Saturday, the Health Ministry said 1,677 Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the previous 24 hours, taking to 42,980 the total number since the outbreak of the coronavirus began in mid-February. The previous high was recorded the previous day, when 1,577 cases were announced.

The ministry said the number of Covid-19-related fatalities over the past 24 hours numbered 62, eclipsing by 15 the previous all-time high recorded on June 2. The number of deaths stands at 1,484.

The latest figures mean that a total of 24,224 have contracted the respiratory disease since May 27. They are more than half the total number of cases since the outbreak began, indicating that Egypt’s 100 million people are in the grips of the worst phase of the pandemic.

Authorities insist that the numbers fall within official forecasts and that the country’s medical facilities have the capacity to deal with much larger numbers if need be.

One senior health ministry official said earlier this week that the numbers will continue to rise during the remainder of June, with the worst daily number of cases possibly hitting 2,500, but that the curve would be flattened by mid-July.

The government has been seeking to strike a balance between protecting Egyptians from the pandemic and preventing the economy from tanking.

It has been gradually easing the lockdown it imposed in March while counselling that, until a vaccine is developed, everyone must learn to live with the coronavirus while taking precautions like social distancing and embracing stringent hygiene standards.

It has made wearing a mask mandatory in public spaces, like transport, government offices and banks, but many Egyptians have continued to take a dangerously casual approach to the pandemic.

A video posted online this week, for example, showed holidaymakers at a Red Sea resort gathered on the beach dancing to drumbeats. The Ministry of Tourism, which last month allowed hotels to reopen with reduced capacity provided they pass stringent health and hygiene inspections, is investigating the incident. Hotels found to violate health measures risk closure.

Police have routinely been breaking up gatherings on streets close to or by the Nile. Thousands of taxi drivers have been fined or had police reports filed against them for not wearing masks or allowing passengers to travel without one. Public beaches and parks remain closed as well as mosques, churches, museums, theatres, cinemas, antiquity sites, restaurants, cafes and gyms.

On Thursday, Egypt said it would allow foreign flights and tourists back into coastal areas with the least number of Covid-19 cases starting July 1, a move that reflected the government’s resolve to try to salvage what had once shaped to be the best tourism season on record before the outbreak of the coronavirus devastated the vital industry.

Tourism accounts for nearly 15 per cent of Egypt’s GDP and is a major source of foreign currency. It’s among the biggest casualties of the pandemic.