Store owners in Cairo hope to reverse the downward trend in takings now the curfew has ended, Ahmed Morsy reports. “Closing early negatively affected receipts. Now the curfew is over we are hoping to make up some of the losses,” says Samir Ali, owner of a shop in Nasr City. The interim government announced an end to the state of emergency last Thursday, two days after an administrative court ruling order that its declaration had expired. Shops which had been forced to close around 10pm on weekdays, and 5pm on Friday, can revert to their pre-curfew times. “People here like to shop late,” says Ali. “As long as the streets are secure I'm expecting a return to pre-curfew shopping patterns.” “During the curfew, customers were always in a rush to get home,” complains street vendor Ahmed Shalabi. “They had no time to stop and look at merchandise. On some days, Fridays in particular, it wasn't worth opening the stall.” A month long state of emergency — including curfew hours — was imposed by presidential decree in 14 out of Egypt's 27 governorate in mid-August after hundreds were killed when police and army forcibly dispersed two Islamist sit-ins. The state of emergency and curfew were subsequently extended for two more months though curfew times were steadily reduced except for Fridays. Zakaria Mohamed, a restaurant owner in Downtown, is not anticipating an immediate increase in customers. “It will take time,” he says. “People need to see security conditions are stable before they begin to come out at night.” “The Interior Ministry, in cooperation with the army, has prepared a comprehensive plan to maintain security after the end of curfew,” Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Hani Abdel-Latif told Al-Ahram Weekly. The curfew is no longer in place but tanks and armoured vehicles remain in major streets and squares. “The Armed Forces will not withdraw completely from streets,” says Abdel-Latif. “They will be present outside embassies and vital facilities as well as in city squares. The army will remain in the streets to help police maintain security and safety.” Although in recent weeks the curfew had been in place for just five hours a day it remained an economic burden in Cairo, which rivals New York as the city that doesn't sleep. “Ending the curfew is a strong indicator that the security situation has improved,” insists Minister of Finance Ahmed Galal. He predicts an immediate boost to economic activity, not least from an increase in tourists. “I much prefer the streets of Cairo at night when there are fewer people and cars,” says 31-year-old engineer Ahmed Abdel-Ghani. “The curfew put an end to that kind of nightlife but it did make me feel a lot safer. Now, as long as the Armed Forces are still deployed, I can enjoy my nights and still feel safe.” US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel lauded the end of Egypt's state of emergency and curfew in a telephone call with Egyptian army chief Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on Saturday. “Secretary Hagel welcomed the end of the emergency law and curfew in Egypt and reiterated that the United States values the rights of all people to express their views peacefully,” read a Saturday statement issued by the US Department of Defense.
