Egyptians blame film festival as virus rates rise
As a small number of attendees of the El-Gouna Film Festival report coming down with COVID-19, many Egyptians demanded that organizers Naguib and Samih Sawiris be held accountable.
![Egyptian actress Basma Hassan poses prior to walking the red carpet for the screening of the film "Mica", on the fourth day of 4th edition of the Gouna Film Festival, in El-Gouna, Egypt on October 26, 2020. (Photo by Ammar Abd Rabbo / El Gouna Film Festival / AFP) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / EL GOUNA FILM FESTIVAL / AMMAR ABD RABBO - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of t](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_large/public/almpics/2020/11/GettyImages-1229296433.jpg/GettyImages-1229296433.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=eZVcVSVF "1229296433")
CAIRO — Nine Egyptian artists have recovered from the novel coronavirus as of Nov. 15 after having contracted it during the El-Gouna Film Festival, held in the city of el-Gouna on the Red Sea coast from Oct. 23-31.
Social media users accused the producers, brothers Naguib and Samih Sawiris and other business people, of risking a second wave of the virus for the sake of profit and fame.
From Nov. 3 to Nov. 6, 10 attendees of the festival announced that they tested positive: actors Nashwa Mustafa, Basma, Zainab Gharib, Ola Rushdie, Ahmed Daoud, Asir Yassin and Salma Abu Deif, designer Reem al-Adl, producer Mohammad al-Adl and rapper Ahmed Ali, aka Wegz.
Egyptian journalist Mohamed Mansour wrote on Facebook Nov. 5 that the Sawiris family was responsible for the outbreak of the coronavirus in el-Gouna and must be held accountable. He said that the wave will not only affect businessmen and artists who can afford treatment, but hurt many other people who do not have the same resources, such as the drivers and workers who were in contact with the artists during the festival and others infected by attendees.
