Egypt lifts restrictions on cafes, clubs, restaurants, theaters

Egypt on Saturday lifted many restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, chief among which was  reopening cafes and restaurants. In Cairo, a sprawling and bustling metropolis of some 20 million people, coffee shops reopened to receive in-house customers for the first time since mid-March.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly has allowed the businesses to reopen but only at 25% seating capacity. Clubs, gyms and theaters have also been allowed to reopen along with a limited reopening of mosques and churches.

Many business owners welcomed the decision. President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's government has been keen to save the Egyptian economy that was hit hard by the virus outbreak.

On Friday, the International Monetary Fund approved another $5.2 billion loan for Egypt, to be added to the $2.8 billion the fund had already promised to stave off the pandemic's worst economic effects. Before the pandemic, Egypt had just emerged from a three-year economic reform program that came with securing a $12 billion IMF loan in late 2016.

The reopening has been met with criticism, not least because Egypt is still recording relatively high new coronavirus infections and deaths.

The Egyptian doctors' union warned last month the country was careening toward a catastrophe. Egypt's health ministry has reported more than 62,000 infections, including 2,620 deaths. However, the actual numbers of infections and deaths from COVID-19, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher due to a number of reasons including limited testing.