Coronavirus: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gets expanded powers to deal with outbreak

Emergency law amendments allow president to ban all gatherings and to offer financial support

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi approved amendments to the country's emergency laws on May 9, 2020. AP Photo

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Saturday approved amendments to the country's state of emergency that grant him and security agencies additional powers, which the government says are needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The new amendments allow the president to take measures to contain the virus, such as suspending classes at schools and universities and quarantining those returning from abroad. They also include expanded powers to ban public and private meetings, protests, celebrations and other forms of assembly.

The amended law would also allow the president to postpone taxes and utility payments as well as provide economic support for affected sectors.

Egypt, with a population of 100 million, has reported at least 504 deaths out of about 8,500 confirmed cases.

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Coronavirus in the Middle East

Health workers check passengers and crew who arrived on an Emirates flight from London at Dubai International Airport. AFP

Iranians wearing masks gather outside their buildings after a 5.1-magnitude earthquake was felt in the capital Tehran. AFP / ISNA

Iraqi children play with a toy gun in the northern city of Mosul, as Iraq eases restrictions put in place for the pandemic. AFP

Health officers speak as they prepare to collect swab samples from confined people who are believed to have been in contact with coronavirus patients, in Istanbul. AFP

Tunisian volunteers distribute free Iftar meals at the Ariana near Tunis during Ramadan. AFP

Head of Fatih District Health Department Melek Nr Aslan briefs her staff before they leave to collect swab samples from confined people who are believed to have been in contact with coronavirus patients, in Istanbul. AFP

The Mosaharati calls on Muslims to wake up to eat Suhoor, the last meal before a sunrise to sunset fast during Ramadan, in Damascus, Syria. EPA

An elderly Lebanese woman shows appreciation to entertainers at a retirement home at Ain Wazein, in the Chouf mountains south-east of the capital Beirut. AFP

A Syrian man gives food to the Mosaharati in Damascus. Syria has alleviated the curfew imposed on the country to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and reopened religious places for the first time during Ramadan. EPA

The columns of the Roman Temple of Jupiter in the Lebanese city of Baalbeck in the eastern Bekaa valley are lit with the symbols of the Red Cross and Crescent. AFP

A Palestinian street vendor prepares corn before breaking the fast at sunset during Ramadan, in Gaza City. AFP

A picture provided by the Embassy of India in Riyadh shows Indian expats inside a plane upon their departure at King Fahad International Airport heading to Kozhikode. Some 150 Indian passengers, mainly consisting of pregnant women and stranded workers, left Riyadh on a special flight amid the Covid-19 pandemic. AFP / Embassy of India in Riyadh

A picture provided by the embassy of India in Riyadh shows Indian expats queuing at departure section in King Fahad International Airport heading to Kozhikode. AFP / Embassy of India in Riyadh

People wearing protective face masks read verses from the holy Quran at a mosque during Ramadan in Sana'a, Yemen. EPA

A Yemeni child in Sana'a, Yemen, where the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned coronavirus is spreading fast. EPA

A Muslim singer wears his sufi clothing before singing Islamic songs (Anasheed) at his home in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

Libyans exercise at the beach before iftar, or breaking the fast, during Ramadan in the capital Tripoli. AFP

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The amendments also allow military prosecutors to investigate incidents when army officers are tasked with law enforcement or when the president orders it. The country's chief civilian prosecutor would have the final decision on whether to bring matters to trial.

Parliament approved the amendments last month.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since April 2017, and the government extended it late last month for another three months. The law was originally passed to give the president broader powers to combat terrorism and drug trafficking.

The government said the amendments were needed to address a legal “vacuum” revealed by the coronavirus outbreak.

In response the pandemic, Egypt has halted international air travel and shut down schools, universities, mosques, churches and archaeological sites, including the famed Giza pyramids. A curfew is in place from 9pm to 6am. The partial lockdown is to continue for another two weeks, until the end of Ramadan.