PRESIDENT Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi addressed the nation on efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic this week. The address took place during his meeting with a group of Egyptian women to mark Mothers' Day which in Egypt is celebrated on 21 March. In announcing a LE100 billion stimulus package to support the economy through the current crisis Al-Sisi stressed the package would not have been possible without the economic reform programme Egypt has implemented over the last three years. The president said the state had been transparent about the spread of the virus. “There are always those who doubt what we say but why would we conceal anything,” he asked. Egypt is taking unprecedented measures to deal with the crisis, added the president, and is following international guidelines to tackle the pandemic. Al-Sisi called upon the public to act responsibly and maintain their discipline for two weeks. “Help us to pass these two weeks with the lowest increase possible [in the number of infections],” he said. Expressing his appreciation of the efforts exerted by medical teams, Al-Sisi said “it is a war and you are the heroes.”
*A version of this article appears in print in the 26 March, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
