Typically, commercial shops and centres are allowed to operate nationwide from 7am to 11pm during the summer and from 7am to 10pm in winter. However, restaurants are permitted to open from 5am to 1am in the summer and from 5am to 12am in winter.

This extension will come into effect on 22 March, the first day of Ramadan, and will remain in place until the end of Eid Al-Fitr's three-day holiday on 23 April, marking the end of the holy month.

According to the decision, venues can run 24-hours a day for home delivery and takeaway services.

Under the new decision, handicraft shops located in residential blocks must close by 10pm, with the exception of workshops located on highways and fuel stations that provide urgent services for citizens. 

Usually, handicraft shops are allowed to operate between 8am and 7pm, with an extension of one hour on Thursdays and Fridays, official holidays, and festive occasions.

Supermarkets, groceries, bakeries and pharmacies, which are allowed to operate around the clock, are excluded from the decision.

The Cairo-based National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics has announced earlier that Ramadan will begin on 23 March in Egypt, according to astronomical calculations.