Cairo's Chamber of Commerce (CCC) set the closure hour for shops at 11 PM, but made an exception for some commercial activities, such as pharmacies, supermarkets and bakeries. Chairman of the Arab Chamber of Commerce in Cairo, Ibrahim Al-Araby, said that the resolution was reached in last night's meeting, and follows a survey on the opinion of business representatives of different commercial sectors in Cairo. He emphasized that the Chamber will send an official note on Tuesday to the Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry, Rashid Mohamed Rashid, and Abdel Azim Wazir, Cairo's Governor, stating the final decision. Ashraf Helal, a CCC board member and Chairman of the Division of household appliances, agreed to the proposal, staying it will serve both merchants and consumers. "We as traders spend all our time at work and we do not find time to sit with our families. It will also help consumers organize their time to shop during the specified timelines. This will give us both more time to spend at home" Although the proposal was widely encouraged, Laila Al-Bilali, CCC board member and head of the Women's Commission, believes that although such a system is used worldwide, for it to be beneficial in Egypt it should be applied to other sectors, especially cafes.
