Egyptians must take coronavirus precautions in Senate vote, authorities say

Voters will have to wear masks and observe social distancing to guard against spread of virus that may be making comeback

epa08584908 Senate election campaign banners hung on a bridge in Cairo, Egypt, 05 August 2020. Egypt will hold its Egyptian Senate elections on 11 and 12 August 2020. EPA/KHALED ELFIQI

Egyptians casting their vote this week in a nationwide election of a second chamber of parliament will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing at the polls, precautions against the spread of the Covid-19 disease that may be making a comeback soon after it appeared to be finally waning.

The election of the 300-seat and largely consultative upper chamber began on Sunday and continued on Monday for Egyptian expatriates, allowed to vote online or by mail in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Balloting moves to Egypt on Tuesday and again will be staggered over two days. Results will be announced on August 19 and second round balloting is due on September 8-9.

Authorities have since Monday began disinfecting thousands of polling stations across the country of 100 million people to limit the spread of Covid-19. Disinfection gates will also be installed outside polling centres and social distancing will be observed.

The creation of an upper chamber was part of constitutional amendments approved in a nationwide referendum last year. Of its 300 members, 100 will be presidential appointees, while the remainder will be elected by direct balloting through the system of closed party lists or individual candidates. Government supporters are almost certain to be the new chamber’s overwhelming majority.

There have been no campaign rallies for the election because of the pandemic, with hopeful candidates using street billboards and online advertisements to promote their candidacy.

Turnout is likely to be modest given the consultative mandate of the upper chamber, continuing concerns about the pandemic and the generally poor shape of the economy.

The new chamber’s main task would be to vet draft legislation on issues to do with national sovereignty, the constitution or on foreign treaties. These would be referred to the chamber by either the president or the House of Deputies. This task was part of the mandate of the State Council, a senior judicial body that had vetted legislation before their adoption by the legislature. That role was stripped from the council under the 2019 constitutional amendments.

The new chamber, which replaces one annulled some seven years ago, will serve a five-year term.

Significantly, this week’s election coincides with growing signs that the coronavirus pandemic may be making a comeback after weeks of decline that gave Egyptians and their government hope that it might be over after nearly 100,000 confirmed cases and more than 5,000 deaths, according to official figures.

After registering a dramatic decline since late July and into the first week of August, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has been on the rise in recent days although the numbers remain low compared to June, by far the worst month since the pandemic began in mid-February, and early July.

The rise in confirmed cases started its ascent on Wednesday - 123 cases - and continued until Monday, the last day for which official figures are available, when 178 cases have been recorded.

As a precaution against a possible “second wave” of Covid-19 infections, at least one quarantine hospital has been reopened to deal with new cases. The government is meanwhile renewing warnings that it would reintroduce the measures it had in place before reopening the country on June 27 if the numbers continue to rise.

At the heart of the epidemic in Egypt is the casual approach taken by most Egyptians toward the threat of the disease, like not abiding by social distancing or wearing masks in crowded public spaces. The government has repeatedly told Egyptians that, in the absence of a vaccine, they will have to learn to live with Covid-19 while taking preventive precautions.