Stranded Egyptians back EGYPTAIR is operating special flights this week to fly back Egyptians stranded in a number of countries due to coronavirus flight bans. A special flight yesterday was to return Egyptians stranded in Saudi Arabia. Egyptians in Spain, Washington, Amsterdam, Moscow, Bahrain and Bombay will be back home today. As for Friday 24 April EgyptAir will bring home Egyptian stuck in Johannesburg. Jets carrying Egyptians from abroad are due to land in the Red Sea resort of Marsa Alam where passengers will be quarantined for 14 days. On Saturday, Marsa Alam received a flight of over 200 Egyptians in Canada. The Canada flight was the third received by the Red Sea city after two previous repatriation flights from the US. Passengers will bear the cost of the flight ticket and the two-week hotel quarantine period upon arrival in Egypt. The number of Egyptians stranded abroad due to the coronavirus crisis has reached 3,378, according to Minister of Information Osama Heikal. The government is requiring returnees to sign an acknowledgement before boarding that they agree to remain in quarantine.
Religious official dismissed SHEIKH Ahmed Al-Qadi, the official spokesman of the Ministry of Religious Endowments, has been dismissed from his post after he made controversial comments regarding the status of mosques during the holy month of Ramadan. In a phone call aired on a satellite television channel on Saturday evening, Al-Qadi stated that the ministry was considering the possibility of opening mosques in Ramadan for imams to perform taraweeh (Ramadan night prayers with communal readings of the Holy Qur'an) without worshippers attending. The ministry denied Al-Qadi's statements, stressing that they do not represent the official stance of the ministry. Minister of Religious Endowments Mokhtar Gomaa said on Sunday evening that there was no intention to re-open mosques during Ramadan even in the absence of worshippers. Earlier this month, the minister decided to extend the closure of mosques completely “until the reason of the closure disappears”, meaning that when there are no more cases of coronavirus. Gomaa noted that his ministry is coordinating with the Health Ministry in this regard. He added that violating the closure decision was a sin that required accountability.
Facilitating tax payments FINANCE Minister Mohamed Maait stated on Sunday that income tax for 2019 will be paid on installments until 30 June without imposing fines or postponing fees. The decision covers aviation companies and the tourism and antiquities sector, including cafes, restaurants and hotels, in addition to the manufacturing sector and the press and media, according to a statement. The decision comes in line with the state's strategy to support sectors that are being affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. Maait said all companies affected by the coronavirus will pay 20 per cent of the tax in April and 30 per cent in May while the remainder 50 per cent will be paid before the end of June without fines. Maait said the decision was to maintain the production cycle and help the sectors recover soon.
University student investigated CAIRO University will refer a female student to an internal investigation after she posted inappropriate videos on the social media platform TikTok. The student was identified as Haneen Hossam of the Faculty of Archaeology. University President Mohamed Al-Khosht said he had received several messages that a student in the university had posted a video calling on girls older than 18 to shoot inappropriate videos in return for money. Al-Khosht stressed that the university will impose the maximum penalty against the student and may even expel her for acting against the university's values and traditions.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 23 April, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
