Egypt

Egyptian Government Approach to Covid-19 Pandemic

On 14th February 2020, the ministry of health in Egypt announced the first case of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Cairo International Airport involving a Chinese citizen. The government did not hesitate to report the case to the World Health Organization (WHO). The patient was admitted to a quarantined isolation facility to curb the spread of the country’s virus (Wahed, et al.). Subsequently, preventive measures were taken to the physical contacts of the patient. Later, the severe acute respiratory syndrome cases were reported putting the country at risk of further spreading the virus, which invited government involvement to control the situation. However, in light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the Egyptian government is criticized worldwide for mishandling the case and repressing its citizens.

After being declared a global pandemic by the WHO, the Egyptian health workers were on the front line fighting against the virus-like other nations. The unusual situation that the doctors were exposed to lead to various psychological impacts. A Google survey was conducted to access health workers in multiple hospitals countrywide. The survey involved various sociodemographic features and psychological effects based on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale from about 400 health workers. Under this sample, 69% were found to suffer depression, 58% sustained anxiety, and 55% of the model had stress (Arafa, et al.). Despite various encounter in their line of duty, the emotional pressure was assumed to originate from the government.

In this case, the molestation of doctors by the government administrators has been highly criticized. Health workers have received a warning, and more than ten doctors have been arrested since the outbreak of the virus as they try to belittle the government’s approach in dealing with the pandemic. For instance, doctors who wrote articles addressing the fragility in the health sector were arrested (Wahed, et al.). The health workers are under pretrial detention, being accused of using social media and terrorism after raising grievances on poor working conditions. More doctors and journalists have been detained since March under the wave of confinements in the crackdown on the public. Most of the people arrested forcibly disappeared, leaving their lawyers and families worried about their wellbeing. According to research by Hussein Baoumi in Amnesty International, they reappeared later during their prosecution.

Amnesty documented a case concerning Alaa Shaaban Hamida; a young doctor arrested in Alexandria by the National Security Agency. According to the documentation, she was arrested after her fellow worker used her phone to contact the health hotline ministry to report a Covid-19 case in the hospital. According to the prosecution investigation statement, the El Shatby hospital director insisted that Hamida undermined his authority by making direct contact with the ministry. Currently, Hamida is detained on accusations regarding terrorist group membership, fake news, and social media misuse. Such instances indicate the government’s oppression of the citizens.

Apparently, some of the Egyptian government’s precautions and preventive measures included school closure, followed by a partial lockdown on the public amenities. However, the government allowed Covid-19 patients admission to public hospitals. Later, the Medical Syndicate warned the government of a possible collapse of the medical system due to the virus’s immense spread; therefore, demand for a comprehensive lockdown. Ayman Sabae further stated that “The syndicate has never had a seat at the table with other authorities and should be part of the decision-making process. But including civil society has never been customary by the government.” (Wahed, et al.). The implications were aimed at criticizing the government’s measures in handling the pandemic.

Another notable instance involves various police stations, and prisons suspected cases leaving at least 14 individuals succumbed to the virus. The Human Rights Watch discovered reports from prisoners on the release rate, which is considered insufficient in achieving social distancing to prevent the immerse spread of the virus(Wahed, et al.). However, the government tries to obscure the health crisis instead of providing better healthcare facilities.

The Egyptian Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, provided a comprehensive plan on lifting some of the measures. According to Madbouly, observing health precautions would help in controlling the spread. However, the move to steal some of the restrictions was highly criticized. The decision came during the controversial allegations regarding the medical culture unpreparedness in flattening the infection rate. The Physicians Syndicate rejected the critics by Madbouly as it could create political unrest among the citizens and health care workers.

The imposed lockdown to control the virus, which involved night curfew, closure of learning institutions, suspended international flights, and closure of social amenities, impacted undesirably. Economically, these restrictions mostly affected the vulnerable communities in Egypt (Tuite, et al.). Additionally, the halting of flights affected the tourism sector, which is among the significant revenue sources for the government. Also, the Egyptian employees along the Gulf were dismissed, which created an additional economic and social burden leading to depression, stress, and anxiety.

The government further formulated regulations for restaurants and cafes operations, allowing them to reopen and close at 10 pm. The reopening also involved cinemas and clubs but ceased to reopen public parks. However, the decision to reopen various places shocked Ahmed Hassan since the pandemic is still active. The reopening of restaurants and other public facilities was only allowed to hold about 25%. However, people still feel the decision was not appropriate since it is hard to determine the 25%. According to various observers, the government’s move to enhance social distance was appropriate since most people fail to observe physical contact measures. The decision to reopen the country would require greater responsibility from the citizens to ensure safety during the pandemic. Seemingly, the government, at some point, have failed to address the situation appropriately.

Therefore, the Egyptian government has mishandled the situation and failed to curb the spread of the virus. Some of the reasons behind this failure include a lack of accurate data on the cases. According to the Egyptian minister, numbers announced are sometimes manipulated, hence not showing the spread’s correct scope (Gaafar). He further insisted that the actual tally infections were five times more than the official reports. Therefore, the government’s lack of transparency and uncertainty has led to less compliance with preventive measures.

In conclusion, the pandemic has played a critical role in realizing numerous faults in the healthcare sector. This has allowed states to examine appropriate measures to overcome the various crisis. The Egyptian government did not adopt an appropriate response to the crisis hence causing a massive economic burden. Therefore, identifying the government’s setbacks is crucial in creating a responsible political regime that oppresses citizens and promotes social and financial stability.