Thursday 2 April 2020

president pressed to use palaces for quarantine


Sally Nabil
BBC News, Cairo
A growing number of Egyptians have taken to Twitter to call for President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi to turn his palaces into quarantine centres. Mr Sisi has been previously criticised for spending millions of dollars on constructing the lavish buildings.
It comes after a group of Egyptian expats returning home from London had to sign a document saying they agreed to go into quarantine on their arrival in Cairo, as a condition for their evacuation from the UK.
Once they landed, they were locked down in a five-star hotel next to the airport. Many were unhappy because they had to bear the cost of the expensive accommodation. 
One of the expats told the BBC they should have been offered other more affordable options. 
After an uproar on social media, President Sisi reversed the decision, saying the state would pay for their stay. 
Another group of expats coming from Kuwait had earlier protested inside Cairo airport, refusing to be locked down. 
They were finally allowed to leave, after promising to self-isolate. Health authorities here believe many of the nearly 800 infections came either from tourists or expats. 
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in presidential palace, Cairo (file photo)

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