The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced that Sunday and Monday are official holidays for the banking sector for Coptic Easter and Sham El-Nassim. Al Ahram also reported that banks will resume operations on Tuesday.
Moreover, Manpower Minister Mohamed Saafan said Sham El-Nassim “will be a paid holiday for private-sector employees.”
Unfortunately, for the Coptic Orthodox Christians who will celebrate Easter on Sunday, with Monday marking the actual spring holiday of Sham El-Nassim, the festivities will be different. The holiday that is often spent in the garden with outdoor activities and family gatherings won’t play out the same way this year.
According to Al Ahram, “this year, the festivities will be muted by the coronavirus pandemic, as Egypt continues to place unprecedented measures to stem the spread of the virus, including a nationwide night-time curfew.”
The report also said that earlier this month, the government announced the closure of shops and restaurants on Sham El-Nassim specifically. Generally, the initial rules allowed for shops and malls to remain open until 5 pm on weekdays. However, due to the festivities falling on weekdays, these special rules were put in place so that COVID-19 cases do not spiral.
Yesterday night, there were 160 new cases – and this is the highest number recorded in Egypt since the virus outbreak. There are 2,350 total cases, 638 of which tested negative after being positive, 514 of which recovered, and 178 of which died.
Arab News, an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia, published that this is the first time in Egyptian history that the church suspends “Holy Week and Easter-time prayers and services as part of a nationwide effort to stem the spread of the virus.”
Festivities and celebrations can easily become a major source for the virus spreading. Social distancing, avoiding large groups of people and steering clear of crowded areas is one of the necessary ways to flatten the curve and curb the virus.
