A month after Egypt confirmed its first case of the coronavirus on Feb. 14, the government announced that it would close its airports and restrict air travel starting March 19 until the end of March, as part of efforts to slow the spread of the virus.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly told a news conference March 16 that “the number of infected cases of the coronavirus is increasing, so we started taking quick preventive measures, including suspension of classes. Our plan includes three phases to deal with the virus. The government had to move to the second phase.”