Coronavirus: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi tells Egyptians to eat healthily and exercise

Egyptian leader addresses concerns about rising number of Covid-19 cases in recent days

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi sought to address concerns about the country's coronavirus outbreak. Egyptian Presidency via Reuters

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has told Egyptians to exercise and eat healthily to raise their immunity against the Covid-19 outbreak that has claimed nearly 700 lives in the country.

Mr El Sisi also sought to reassure the public about his government’s handling of the outbreak of the coronavirus. “Be reassured, the issue is being handled scientifically and professionally,” he said.

The Egyptian leader’s comments came just hours before the Health Ministry announced on Thursday that 774 new Covid-19 cases had been diagnosed over the previous 24 hours. It was the fifth consecutive record daily increase and took the total number of confirmed cases to 15,003, of which 696 were fatal.

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Coronavirus in the Middle East

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  A woman wearing a face mask walks past sweets for sale for Eid, in Sidon, southern Lebanon. Reuters

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  View of a nearly empty street in Gaza City. EPA

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  Palestinians gather at a beach for iftar. EPA

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  A Syrian man chooses second-hand clothes at shop in a flea market in the capital Damascus. AFP

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  A Yemeni worker wearing a protective outfit sprays disinfectant on passing cars and motorcycles in Sanaa. AFP

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  Yemeni children cheer as a worker wearing a protective outfit sprays disinfectant on a car. AFP

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  Healthcare workers gather in a street during testing for the coronavirus disease in Sadr city, district of Baghdad, Iraq. REUTERS

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  Medical specialists take a blood sample from a woman in Sadr City, Iraq. EPA

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  An elderly woman waits to be tested by a nurse with the mobile crew of the Lebanese American University Medical Center, at the Order of Malta dispensary, in the southern Lebanese local authority of Roum in the town of Jezzine. AFP

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  An Algerian man receives a mask distributed by volunteers from the civil society, in a neighbourhood of the capital Algiers. AFP

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  A woman is pictured wearing a protective face mask in Cairo, Egypt. REUTERS

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  Istanbul municipal morgue workers prepare to remove coffins of people who died of COVID-19 at the Cekmekoy morgue in Istanbul. AFP

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Egypt's numbers remain relatively low for a country of 100 million people, but many fear that the rising number of infections could overwhelm its healthcare system.

Adding to fears of a wider spread of Covid-19 is the casual attitude adopted by some Egyptians towards precautions, although social distancing, strict hygiene practices and healthy eating could be beyond the reach of the country’s poor majority who live in crowded conditions and need to go out to work daily to survive.

“The growing number [of cases] is a natural development. Could they be fewer? Yes. Could they be slightly higher? Yes. It all depends on how we conduct ourselves rather than the efficiency of the health system in Egypt,” said Mr El Sisi.

“The numbers will go down if we pay attention and do not deal with the issue complacently,” he said.

“People, no matter who or how old they are, must exercise to strengthen their immunity and they must eat more healthy food, too,” said the 65-year-old Egyptian leader, who is known to work out and cycle regularly.

Egypt has tightened lockdown restrictions for next week's Eid Al Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The start of the existing 9pm-6am curfew will be brought forward to 5pm, all public transport will be shut, and stores, public parks and malls will be closed.