Three bank branches close STATE-owned Banque du Caire announced on Saturday the closure of a downtown branch after two staff members tested positive for Covid-19. The branch, in Talaat Harb, was shut down on 6 May, one day after the detection of two positive cases, Chairman Tarek Fayed said in a statement. All employees have been tested to ensure their safety, Fayed said, adding that the facility has been disinfected for three consecutive days. The bank has redirected its clients to the nearest branch in downtown Cairo. Fayed said all meetings have since been held via conference calls to maintain social distancing. On Friday, a suspected coronavirus case was reported among the staff at the New Cairo branch of BLOM Bank Egypt, resulting in the temporary suspension of all operations. The bank said it has disinfected the branch over the weekend and conducted coronavirus tests for all employees at the branch. Commercial International Bank (CIB) also reported this week that it detected a confirmed case of Covid-19 among its staff in their Zamalek branch. The branch was closed and is scheduled to remain closed until Tuesday to undergo deep cleaning and sanitisation as per Ministry of Health and Population and World Health Organisation protocols.
From pharmacist to doctor THE DOCTORS Syndicate late last week rejected a suggestion proposed by the chief of the Military Medical Academy to grant pharmacists a licence to practise medicine after taking the required studies. In a statement, the syndicate explained that such a suggestion, made by Ahmed Al-Tawdi, would endanger the health of citizens and harm Egypt's global medical reputation. The syndicate said that all categories of medical teams that include physicians, pharmacists and veterinarians, perform their duties based on specific education that differs from one other, adding that no category could replace another. The syndicate said that after graduating from high school, any student wanting to become a doctor must join a medicine faculty and train in a public hospital as mandatory requirements before he or she can obtain a licence to practise the profession. Therefore, complementary studies will not be enough to turn a pharmacist into a doctor, the statement said.
Two journalists released THE SUPREME State Security Prosecution has decided to release on bail two journalists who were detained in 2019 on charges of publishing false news. In a case known as the “media hub of the Muslim Brotherhood”, the prosecution had accused the journalists, Moetaz Wadnan and Mustafa Al-Assar, of joining a group that was established in violation of the law and constitution and of publishing false news that could affect national security. Wadnan, a Huffpost Arabia journalist, was arrested after interviewing Hisham Geneina, former top auditor in February 2018. Geneina claimed in the interview that former military chief of staff Sami Anan possesses secret documents that could incriminate top state officials.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 May, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
