The country also reported a daily average of four coronavirus-related deaths from 30 April to 6 May, according to the ministry’s weekly update on the pandemic nationwide.

Furthermore, a daily average of 20 people were discharged from hospitals over the past seven days, bringing the total number of recoveries since the outbreak began in February 2020 up to 445,282.

More than 45 million people have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine and more than 34.5 million have been fully vaccinated.

Additionally, more than 2.69 million individuals have received their booster shoot since the start of the country’s mass vaccination campaign last year.

Relaxing COVID restrictions

The last weeks have seen Egypt easing many of the coronavirus restrictions that have been in place since March 2020 amid a significant drop in daily cases and a subsequent decline in isolation hospitals and hospialisation rates.

Recently, the Ministry of Endowments announced that starting from Sunday, all mosques and shrines nationwide will revert to normal operation hours after two years of being limited.

Egypt closed its mosques and shrines for visitations in March 2020 following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country. The government then began to gradually allow prayers and other activities at large mosques.

The country also announced allocating 600 outdoor spaces at large mosques nationwide for millions of worshippers for the Eid El-Fitr prayers last week, ending a ban on outdoor Eid prayers that had been in place since the start of the pandemic.

Moreover, this Ramadan, the country allowed the Islamic holy month’s late-night prayers (Tahajjud) at all large mosques nationwide in its last four nights.

Egypt also lifted a ban on Ramadan charity banquets, which are organised publicly in streets by the well-to-do to provide free Iftar meals for millions of disenfranchised people, ending a two-year suspension on the popular tradition.

Mosques were also allowed to open their annex event halls to conduct the afternoon prayer sermons (Al-Asr) and mass Ramadan night prayers (Taraweeh) during the holy month.

Additionally, weddings and celebrations at indoor halls in hotels were also allowed as of April as long as they followed precautionary measures against the coronavirus.