The Ministry of Social Solidarity announced on Tuesday limiting the attendance of children at nurseries to 50 percent capacity, with the possibility of full closure in the event of a further surge in coronavirus cases.

This decision reverses a series of decisions taken in October of last year by the ministry to raise the attendance cap at nurseries to 100 percent after months of closure due to the outbreak of the coronavirus in March.

The Childhood and Motherhood Department at the ministry will follow up on nurseries to make sure they apply the preventive measures against the coronavirus, the ministry said, including maintaining social distancing and monitoring children’s temperatures.

The ministry added that 11 out of about 4,000 nurseries have already been closed since nurseries were re-opened due to coronavirus infections.

Egypt has seen a significant surge in coronavirus cases since mid-December, causing the government to take tougher measures to curb the spread of the virus, including imposing an immediate fine on people not wearing face masks in closed areas.

On 31 December, the cabinet postponed in-person exams for the first semester in schools and universities till after the end of the mid-year vacation in late February.