A real shock wave is currently shaking cinemas, artists, filmmakers and film buffs in Egypt, overturning almost the entire cultural calendar of the country. Like many other industries, the world of cinema is feeling the brunt of the spread of the coronavirus. As part of the strengthed measures to combat the virus, the Egyptian prime minister announced new measures, prime among which is the closing of cinemas until the end of March. "We are living in a tough and historic war, that against the Covid-19 pandemic, a war which is dangerous and during which priority must be given to the health of individuals and not to the means of entertaining them", underlines the producer Farouk Sabri, president of the Film Industry Chamber. The economic impact is difficult to assess at this time. "We are currently unable to quantify them, as the situation can change from day to day," adds Sabri. Since last week, cinema managers have closed their theatres, multiplexes or neighbourhood cinemas for several weeks. "It s sad, it s even terrible for all the operators and staff of the projection rooms," sighs Gawdat Michael, manager of Galaxy cinemas in New Cairo. "However, we strictly respect all decisions and measures taken by the state to maintain our health, or rather our life," he said. Increasingly dark halls Already affected by a drop in attendance since the spread of the coronavirus began in late November, some large theatres are suffering from the decision, while others wanted to welcome the public at all costs. Today, the consequences are clearly felt in the dark halls. "During the mid-school vacation, a magical period of leisure, ticket sales were not up to par at all," said Mohamad Nabil, director of the Tiba movie theatre. According to the most conservative estimates, "this crisis could lead to a loss of EGP 100 million and slow down the progress of an industry which had yet finished the year 2019 with fanfare", estimates Said Al-Sayegh, a specialist in Egyptian box office monitoring at the production company Oscar. According to figures made available by the production companies, ticket sales recorded EGP 48.7 million from 1 January to 15 March 2019, compared to only EGP 29.2 million during the same period this year. "Losses will certainly double," he predicted. In addition, the possibility of a prolonged closure or limitation of spectators is worrying, especially since the lack of revenue directly threatens the remuneration of many artists and professionals. However, the crisis seems to have only just begun, while concerns are mounting: who will compensate for the shortfall of owners and operators already affected and those who will be affected in the event of an extended closure? "Certainly not insurance, which covers the economic loss of cinemas in the event of epidemiological risk or administrative closure," said Mohamed Nabil. For the latter, the sector will not be able to be satisfied with the deferral of the payment of taxes and rents or the compensation of wages on this technical unemployment. "Emergency solutions are absolutely necessary. This is what has happened in Italy or China, support from the state will be more than appreciated, "he said. Box office paralysis On the production side, we are also starting to feel the uncertainty and anxiety rising. Before cinemas were forced to close, some production and distribution companies were already concerned about the impact of the pandemic on the release of their films. Several studios have decided to postpone the release of their next films. "There is a growing fear among producers, which could ultimately result in the blocking of the entire industry," noted Nevine Rashad, director of the Sun City movie theater complex. Among the films the release of whichwas postponed is Maria, a new fiction about the Lebanese singer Maya Nasri, written by Ahmed Anwar and directed by Moataz Hossam. The release of this film was scheduled for 18 March, but current incidents have forced the distributors to postpone the release to a later date, one that is not yet announced. Another feature film reported: Aaz Al-Weld (The Dearest of Children), starring Mervat Amin, Dalal Abdel-Aziz and Sherine. Co-written by Sherif Naguib and Georges Azmi and produced by Sara Nouh, the film is expected to see the light during the Grand Bairam (Eid Al-Adha) season falling in summer. Cancellation of festivals The festivals continue to cancel their activities, some gearing for the postponement. Let s start with the Visions Festival for Short Film, founded and chaired by Malek Khouri, professor of cinema at the American University in Cairo. The third edition of this event, which was scheduled this year from 11 to 19 March, has just been postponed, while opting for a new format. "Respecting the global and Egyptian conditions that threaten all of society, we still refuse to completely cancel the holding of this edition of the festival, which led us to make it virtual this year, by screening the films selected on our Facebook page," Malek Khouri comments. A few days ago, the organisers of the Ismaili Festival for Documentary and Short Films, which was to be held in Ismailia from 8 to 17 April, postponed their event. After being confident, the festival management finally declared having arranged with the Ministry of Culture to postpone the festival to August. "The Ismailia Festival must remain an exceptional event," said critic Essam Zakariya, president of the festival, in a statement. “Given the current state of the global fight against the Covid-19, we will not be able to keep it on the pre-announced date, especially with all the activities that we have planned for. This article was first published in Al Ahram Hebdo 25 March 2020 issue.

Cairo Opera House has organized an online concert for Thursday, March 26 at 9 pm featuring a collection of pieces by famed Egyptian composer Omar Khairat, as part of the initiative “Khalek fe al-Beit..Thakafa ben eadeak” [Stay home..Culture in your hands], the Cairo Opera House announced in a recent Facebook post. The concert will be streamed on Culture Ministry s YouTube channel and will be attended by Ali al-Hajar, Medhat Saleh, Reham Abdel-Hakim and Amina Khairat as well. Egypt s Culture Ministry announced in a statement last week that it would begin broadcasting concerts, ballets, plays, and short films from the Ministry s archives on its YouTube channel and social media accounts, to encourage Egyptians to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak. The Egyptian Culture Ministry s Youtube channel broadcast the ballet version of the iconic puppet musical El Leila El Kebira on Wednesday at 9 pm as part of the same initiative. Omar Khairat is a famous Egyptian composer and pianist and the founder and conductor of the Omar Khairat Band. He was born in Cairo and raised in a family of musicians. His uncle, Abou-Bakr Khairat, is the great Egyptian composer of classical music, part of the first generation of such composers in Egypt. An architect by profession, About-Bakr Khairat studied privately in Paris and founded the Cairo Conservatoire, which is regarded as the premier music conservatory in Egypt. Omar Khairat, About-Bakr Khairat s nephew, entered the observatory in 1959, studied piano with Italian Maestro Vincenzo Carro, and took courses in music theory and composition at Trinity College in England. Khairat, whose music is said to bridge the divide between contemporary Egyptian and Western genres, has composed a number of works, including The Magic Perfumes (1989) and Arabic Rhapsody (1992). His compositions have been featured in various movies and TV shows and he has performed at the Cairo Opera House a number of times.

The Egyptian Culture Ministry s Youtube channel will broadcast the El Leila El Kebira ballet on Wednesday at 9 pm, the Cairo Opera House said in a Facebook post. The broadcast is part of the initiative “Stay at home.. Culture in your hands,” which was launched by Culture Minister Enas Abdel-Dayem as part of the efforts curb the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). The ballet, which is performed by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company and accompanied by the Cairo Opera Orchestra, is directed by Abdel Moneim Kamel, who transformed the El Leila El Kebira marionette musical into a ballet. Created in the 1960s by late puppeteer Nagy Shaker and set to poetry by Salah Jahin and music by Sayed Mekkawi, El Leila El Kebira is the Arab world s most iconic puppet show. The fantastical story follows the night of moulid, a festival celebrating the Prophet Mohamed s birthday, and the show features a cast of colorful, comedic characters, with clowns and even a lion tamer making appearances. The musical was an instant success in 1960, its lovable characters having resonated with children and adults alike. Egypt s Culture Ministry announced in a statement last week that it would begin broadcasting concerts, ballets, plays, and short films from the Ministry s archives on its YouTube channel and social media accounts, to encourage Egyptians to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a related context, MBC Masr channel has also launched a campaign entitled “Fi al-Beit Khalek..we hanslek” (Stay home..We will entertain you), calling on people to stay inside and commit to social distancing as much as possible to contain the spread of the virus.

The Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF) has moved to reduce the daily presence of workers in Cairo and Giza hotels by 50 percent and is committed to continue paying salaries to all workers throughout the coronavirus outbreak, with over 300 confirmed cases and 14 deaths having been recorded in the country so far. ETF measures taken to confront the coronavirus include a donation for the purchase 160,000 kits to conduct real-time coronavirus tests for workers in the tourism sector. The purchase of the testing kits come in addition to efforts to sanitize hotel and tourist establishments, and the ETF has contracted with two international companies specialized in the field of health and safety with the goal of sterilizing all hotels and resorts across Egypt. Information about public health and the COVID-19 outbreak has been made available to various hotel workers. The tourism sector is one of the most severely impacted sectors of the economy by the coronavirus outbreak, which has undermined tourism and the airline industry worldwide. Tourism is a vital sector in Egypt. Revenue from the sector jumped to a record high of $US 12.57 billion in the financial year that ended last July. The tourism sector also accounts for about 12% of Egypt s gross domestic product, and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said previously that losses to EgyptAir caused by the country s flight suspension would reach LE 2.5 billion. “We know that the decisions are tough and not easy, and we know that there are big losses for many sectors,” the Prime Minister said during a press conference after announcing the March 19-March 31 flight suspension. He continued: “We have to get prepared when flights return to receive tourists.” The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Saturday announced that all museums and archaeological sites in Egypt will be closed from March 23 until March 31. On Friday, Egypt s Hurghada International Airports saw the departure of “thousands” of European tourists on empty planes, which were allowed to enter to organize return flights for foreigners stranded in Egypt after the flight ban announcement. Two days before the flight suspension went into effect, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi announced that he would suspend domestic tourism in the area and implement new measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, including isolating workers in the tourism sector at hotels, tourist villages, bazaars and restaurants and placing them under quarantine for 14 days. Harsh measures have also been imposed in Daqahlia Governorate to contain the outbreak of the virus, with at least 300 families having been placed under quarantine. During the suspension period, awareness sessions will be held for employees at museums and tourist sites on ways to prevent the spread of the virus, according to a statement from the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry. Egypt also shut down schools for two weeks starting March 15, suspended Friday prayers and congregational prayers in mosques nationwide as of Saturday, March 21, and moved to close churches that same day. Over the weekend, Egypt confirmed 33 new coronavirus cases and four additional deaths, bringing the total number of cases confirmed so far in the country to 327. The new deaths included a 51-year-old woman, an 80-year-old man, a 73-year-old man, and a 56-year-old man, according to Health Ministry Spokesperson Khaled Megahed. At least 14 people have died from the virus in Egypt. They include a 78-year-old Italian national, a 70-year-old Egyptian from Cairo Governorate, a 72-year-old German national who passed away in Luxor Governorate, a 50-year-old Egyptian man from Daqahlia Governorate, a 60-year-old Egyptian woman from Daqahlia, a 60-year-old German tourist who tested positive in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada after having traveled in Luxor, a 68-year-old man who died in an isolation hospital in Giza governorate, a 60-year-old Egyptian national who had returned from Italy, a 68-year-old Egyptian woman, and a 75-year-old Egyptian man from Giza Governorate. Major Generals Shafie Abdel-Halim Dawood and Khaled Shaltout have also succumbed to the virus.

The brainchild of theatre maker Hytham Elhawary, Egypt s first Online International Theatre Festival will take place between 27 and 30 March. The initiative comes in response to the shutdown of all activities involving large public gatherings in the country. The idea came when Elhawary had to postpone the 5th edition of the Youth of the South Theatre Festival (YSTF), which was scheduled for April and each year brings theatrical activities to southern Egyptian governorates, holding many creative activities in towns and villages. "Due to the circumstances we are all going through, we had to postponed the 5th edition of the Youth of the South Theatre Festival (YSTF). Why not go online, I thought. Isn t it a suitable way of keeping in touch with all theatre practitioners and our audiences?" Elhawary, who is also the YSTF s president, told Ahram Online. The online festival is organised by the artistic association that Elhawary manages (the Seen Association for Arts and Culture), in cooperation with Tunisia s Spring Festival for Theatre and is aligned with the International Theatre Institute (ITI). "We rely a lot on cooperation with the Tunisian festival in marketing and promoting the online event as well as in creating vibrant links with international theatre practitioners," Elhawary adds. According to Elhawary, the online festival accepts entries from all around the world until 26 March and the chosen plays will be presented between 27 and 30 March on the online platforms of the YSTF and the Tunisian festival. The plays duration should not exceed 60 minutes. While the Youth of the South Theatre Festival targets specific theatrical content with productions capitalising on showcasing and promoting the heritage and folkloric arts, the online festival opens up to all topics. "Preliminarily we were planning to present two plays per day, but due to a high number of submissions, we will include three plays daily. The plays will be uploaded online with a discussion option available for the audiences," Elhawary reveals. Apart from the discussions encouraged by the management, Elhawary also reveals that the festival will upload the workshops/lectures given by the theatre specialists. "The coronavirus outbreak and the closure of all artistic activities should not stop us from reaching out to each other and to our audiences. Though we do not present theatre on the stages, we won t stop our life. We should go outside the box and the online activities are a perfect way of doing so." Elhawary also sees this as an opportunity to implement this format in the long-run. “We will definitely go for more editions of the festival. This one is just the beginning and I am sure we will learn a lot throughout the festival s days and we will implement possible expansions in the event s upcoming editions.”

The Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre (CIFET) is one of two large-scale state-run festivals taking place in Egypt (the second being the Cairo International Film Festival). The festival s 27th edition will kick off 1 September 2020, the event s new management announced. For years, the festival was presided over by the head of the Academy for Theatrical Arts, Fawzi Fahmy, and later replaced by Sameh Mahran. The festival s 27th edition will be headed by Alaa Abdel Aziz Suleiman, a young theatre maker who steps in with numerous changes and adjustments. One of the fundamental decisions taken by Suleiman is bringing back the festival s original name — the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre — which it held since the event s founding in 1988 until 2010. The festival s continuity was interrupted by the January 2011 revolution and the many changes that took place in Egypt s artistic scene in the following years. After five-year hiatus, the festival returned in 2016 with its 23rd edition and a new name: the Cairo International Festival for Experimental and Contemporary Theatre (CIFCET). Adding the term “contemporary" to the festival s name triggered criticism from some theatre practitioners and experts, pointing to the confusion in terminology (whereas “experimental" specifies the format, “contemporary" refers to the time aspect). With Suleiman dropping the word “contemporary" from the festival s title, the event opens up to all theatrical texts and capitalises on innovative theatrical works that embed new concepts and techniques in stage production. Suleiman also announced that Fawzi Fahmy will be the festival s honorary president. An Egyptian theatre academic and former head of the Academy of Theatrical Arts, Fahmy played a crucial role in laying the ground for CIFET in the 1980s and remained its president for several editions. As Suleiman underscored, Fahmy has left an important fingerprint on the festival, while being a mentor and professor of a generation of theatre makers, many of whom are involved in CIFET today. Suleiman has also decided to bring back the festival s competitive character, one that characterised the event between 1988 and 2010. The prizes will be awarded for best performance, best director, best scenography, best actor and best actress. Throughout its editions, the festival expanded, and the number of troupes hosted also grew. In the 2000s, the number of performances reached over 50 international troupes, making it a highly competitive festival but also demanding a huge budget for its execution. Upon the festival s return after the 2011 revolution, the event dropped its competitive character, and limited the number of performances. The festival overhaul announced by Suleiman points to his aspiration to revive the values that the event embodied in its first years following its launch. Suleiman announced that the festival will kick off 1 September, a date the festival occupied during its first two decades, before later moving between mid-September and October.

MBC Masr channel launched on Thursday a campaign entitled “Fi al-Beit Khalek..we hanslek” (Stay home..We will entertain you), calling on people to stay inside as much as possible to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Egypt. MBC announced a diverse entertainment program as part of the campaign, including airing everyday at noon the series “Captain Anoush” (2017) starring Bayoumi Fouad and Abeer Sabry, and the series “Lamay al-Qot (2017)” starring Mohamed Imam and Tara Emad, broadcast everyday at 2:00 pm. “Saheb El-Saada” (Owner of Happiness; 2014) starring Adel Emam and Lebleba will be available to watch at 7:00 pm, while the Shaqet Faisal series starring Karim Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and Ayten Amer will broadcast at 9:00 p.m. At 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, viewers can also tune in to enjoy the comic performances in “Masrah Masr” (Theater of Egypt; 2014) starring Ashraf Abdel Baqy, as well as a selection of other comedy stars. The comedic program “Asaed Allah Masaekom men Gadid” (Have happy nights once more), starring Akram Hosny, will be available to watch at 9:00 pm on Saturdays. A collection of Arabic films, comedies, foreign films, Bollywood films, and various TV shows will be available everyday at 1:00 am. Egypt s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly moved on Thursday to close all restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, casinos, nightclubs, bars, malls, shops and mobile food carts nationwide, from 7:00 pm until 6:00 am each day through March 31, as part of efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID 19) outbreak. Delivery services, as well as stores selling essential foodstuffs of medicines like groceries, pharmacies and supermarkets, are exempted from the decree. Egypt announced on Wednesday evening 14 new cases of coronavirus, raising the total to 210. Six people have died from COVID-19 in Egypt.

Egyptian-Hungarian sisters Amira Abouzahra and Mariam Abouzahra won the highest awards at the 13th edition of the International Arthur Grumiaux Competition for Young Violinists, which was held between 12 and 15 March in Brussels, Belgium. The news was revealed by the violinists father, Ahmed Abouzahra, who is an Egyptian pianist and cultural manager, on his Facebook page shortly after the win. Abouzahra shared photos of his daughters holding the certificates. Amira won the first prize for the performance in Category C (14 to 18 years old), while Mariam won the second prize in Category B (10 to 14 years old). "This competition is one of the most prestigious competitions for young violinists worldwide and it is held every year in Brussels, Belgium," Ahmed Abouzahra said in the post. Born to an Egyptian father and Hungarian mother, both girls have made their mark in the international music scene, performing extensively at prestigious music halls and garnering awards. Amira and Mariam come from an artistic family, with both parents being pianists, while their grandfather Abdelrahman Abouzahra is one of the most renowned Egyptian actors of his generation. One of the most prestigious competitions for young violinists, the 13th edition of the Grumiaux International Competition for Young Violinists takes place at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. This year, the competition saw 121 applicants from 38 countries, while 64 young musicians were selected for the final competition. The competition closed on 15 March with the laureates concert.

Leading Egyptian band Massar Egbari has announced that it will hold an online concert next week. “The preliminary date of the concert is Tuesday 24 March at 11pm Cairo time. However, this might be changed depending on the feedback from our fans,” Ayman Massoud, Massar Egbari s keyboard player, revealed to Ahram Online. The band announced their project late on Monday, inviting the fans to share their ideas regarding the repertoire they would like to listen to, the recording location and the best time for the event. The band used their Facebook page and Instagram account as primary platforms for the announcement. “We are thinking of including a few of our new songs, but we are also welcoming suggestions from the fans,” Massoud said, stressing the importance of interaction with the listeners in the concert s preparation phase. “For the online concert, we want to move outside the studio space. Maybe our listeners would like to see us in a specific location or they will have other suggestions.” The band s decision comes amid preventive measures by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including closing down cultural venues and the cancellation of the concerts. As such, online platforms remain the only channel of direct interaction between artists and their audiences. “We had several concerts planned for March and April, in Egypt and internationally. They are all cancelled or postponed. Meanwhile, a big segment of the population prefers to stay home, and the internet becomes their source of entertainment. So it feels natural to hold an online concert,” Massoud explains. Scores of Egyptian and international musicians and artists are affected by the cancellation of cultural activities. Speaking on behalf of the whole band, Massoud underlines that this lock down is necessary as we must take all preventive measures. “As artists, however, we can still offer something interesting to our fans. Temporarily shifting to online concerts can add some positive vibes to the cultural stagnation we are all going through.” The band is still considering the right platform to hold the concert, putting in mind that their fans are not only inside Egypt, but many listeners follow them internationally. As Massoud reveals, the concert will be probably held on YouTube s live streaming service and possibly other platforms.

The Wiener Staatsoper has opened up its streaming service to provide audiences with daily opera as it s closed for public performances due to Coronavirus precautionary measures. Since Sunday 15 March, the Vienna State Opera started to stream operas from its archives for free on its website with Das Rheingold (performance from 10 January 2016) conducted by Adam Fischer and directed by Sven-Eric Bechtolf. On Monday, they will broadcast Falstaff (performance from 30 January 2019) of conductor James Conlon and director: David McVicar and on Tuesday they will screen Tri Sestri (performance from 18 March 2016) of conductor Péter Eötvös.

There are similarities and differences between Covid-19 and the flu, but we know much less about the novel coronavirus. As we look at what happened in China, and what s happening now in Italy, it s easy to adopt a fatalistic attitude that "there s nothing we can do, we re all going to get it anyway." This could not be further from the truth. Even if half of all people worldwide become infected with Covid-19 -- and we don t know if the infection rate will be nearly that high -- half will not. And of those who do get infected, there s a lot we can learn from flu to increase the likelihood of survival. Symptoms. Some symptoms of flu and Covid-19 are similar: a dry cough and fever. Covid-19 more often causes shortness of breath and difficulty breathing -- a sign to seek immediate medical attention. Influenza causes aches, fatigue, headache and chills; these appear to be less common with Covid-19. Flu symptoms tend to come on abruptly, getting worse in a day or two. With Covid-19, symptoms may be more gradual and take several days to get worse. If you are sneezing, or have a stuffy or runny nose, the good news is that you probably just have a garden-variety common cold -- ironically, one possibly caused by a different coronavirus. Covid-19 is more infectious than flu. It appears a person who is infected with Covid-19 spreads it to more people than the flu, so it may spread farther and faster than flu. Covid-19 is more likely to kill than flu. On average, about 1 in 1,000 people who get flu die from it -- mostly the elderly and people with underlying health conditions, but flu sometimes kills healthy young people and pregnant women. We don t know the precise case fatality ratio for Covid-19 because of incomplete testing of possible cases and insufficient information about outbreaks. But so far, Covid-19 appears much deadlier than seasonal flu, and quite possibly deadlier than the flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968, each of which killed more than 1 million people around the world. Those pandemics had estimated case fatality ratios far below 1% -- and Covid-19 may kill more than 1 in 100 people who get sick with it. This is not as high as the 1918 flu pandemic, which has been estimated to have killed 2.5 of 100 who it made sick, killing an estimated 675,000 Americans at a time when our population was one-third what it is today. As with the flu, older people and those with serious health conditions such as heart or lung disease, cancer or diabetes are at much higher risk. And there is a fundamental difference in how flu and Covid-19 kill. Many deaths from flu are caused by secondary bacterial pneumonia and heart attacks that develop after the flu has weakened someone s resistance. With Covid-19, most deaths are caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which causes already-damaged lungs to fill with fluid, and makes breathing difficult. Unlike pneumonia, there is no pharmaceutical treatment for ARDS. That is why a potential shortage of ventilators is so dangerous: They are the last-ditch supportive treatment for Covid-19 while the body heals itself. No vaccine. Unlike flu, there is no vaccine for Covid-19 and we are unlikely to have one for at least a year, if ever. The flu vaccine is relatively weak compared with other vaccines -- around 60% protection in a good year when the vaccine is well-matched to circulating strains and 30% or less in a bad year. But at least we have a vaccine for flu. And although it is not highly effective, the flu vaccine helps build herd immunity, which prevents or at least slows disease spread, and often reduces symptom severity. No treatment. There are not yet any medications that can be used to treat Covid-19, although clinical trials are currently underway and being accelerated. For flu, Tamiflu and other antiviral drugs shorten the duration of illness and reduce symptom severity if started within two days of symptom onset. This is important, even if antivirals are not as effective as antibiotics: Less-severe flu symptoms reduce the need for intensive care and reduce the risk of death. No immunity. Because Covid-19 is caused by a novel virus, it is likely that there is no natural immunity to it, unlike the flu. In most years, some percentage of the population will be resistant to flu infection and less likely to become severely ill from that year s flu strains because they previously had a similar strain of the flu or were vaccinated against it. That retained immunity can reduce the severity of flu symptoms. During the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, people over age 35 generally did not get severe illness because of partial immunity, which may have been from previous infection with a similar strain. During the 1918 flu pandemic, older people appear to have been less likely to become ill and die because of past immunity. With Covid-19, no one has this type of existing immunity as far as we know -- although why kids don t get severely ill is a mystery -- which is why some epidemiologists have predicted that two-thirds of all people in the United States might become infected. Children at reduced risk. One bit of good news is that, unlike with the flu, children up to at least age 18 appear to not become very ill with Covid-19. They can become infected, but fatal infection appears to be extremely rare. Flu kills about 100 children under age 17 in the US each year (most under age 5). We don t know to what extent children are important in spreading Covid-19. People without symptoms are generally less likely to spread infections, and children are less likely to show symptoms. Because of this, we don t know whether closing schools will substantially reduce spread of this coronavirus. Covid-19 is more infectious and more deadly than flu. We have fewer tools and no natural immunity. And, we know much less about how to fight it. That s why it s even more important to take protective measures. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, avoid touching surfaces to the extent possible, cover your coughs, and stay home if you re feeling ill -- the same recommendations we give to people to avoid getting and spreading the flu. Specifically for Covid-19, actions of universities and workplaces are closing and allowing telecommuting and distance learning make sense. Medically vulnerable people need to keep a safe distance from others. Nursing homes need to do everything possible to prevent Covid-19 from entering their doors -- either by visitors or staff. Large public gatherings need to be cancelled or radically altered; the NCAA and NBA are taking the right steps to limit contact, which will help flatten the epidemic curve and reduce the chance of a sharp spike in cases that could overwhelm health care facilities. Actions that delay cases allow us to better manage our health care resources -- which could be stretched to the breaking point if cases surge dramatically -- and give us more time to develop effective treatments to prevent the worst complications. Finally, most people who get flu or Covid-19 do well; 80 or 90% of those infected with the novel virus have mild, moderate or no symptoms. However many people die from it, this will be too many. Although the coronavirus pandemic will certainly get worse before it gets better, it will get better. And even at the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, many people (no one knows what proportion) won t get infected, and, of those who do get infected, 99 out of 100 will recover. So, it s responsible to be proactive now to limit the harms of Covid-19, but it s also good to keep in mind that this, too, will pass. By taking these actions on both a personal and societal level, we give ourselves the best chance to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. It s too late now to prevent this coronavirus from spreading in our communities, but by working together to limit and slow that spread, we can save lives.

The media adviser to Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Hany Younis, published several photos to Facebook of a coronavirus quarantine hospital on Tuesday. Younis said the hospital received one foreign national, who was provided with hotel accommodation and a translator. Younis thanked everyone for faithfully serving and protecting Egypt in this difficult time. The Health Ministry advised citizens to head to specialized hospitals if they feel a rise in temperature to conduct all necessary tests. The number of confirmed positive cases in Egypt reached 59 on Monday, the health ministry announced, with the latest being three Egyptians and one foreigner. Test results for twenty quarantined patients came back negative, the ministry said. Egypt is fully transparent regarding cases in the country, and follows international health regulations in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), the WHO s representative to Egypt John Jabbour said Sunday. Egypt s first confirmed death from the virus was a 60-year-old German tourist, who was taken to a hospital in Hurghada where he passed away.

Multiple festivals, artistic events and theater shows this week have been suspended following the cabinet s decision to ban gatherings as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. One of these is the Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF), an annual film festival for African cinema, which was suspended on Tuesday. LAFF president Sayyed Fouad told Al-Masry Al-Youm, “We are committed to this decision out of keenness for the safety of citizens. The judging committees for the (festival s) four competitions continued to watch the rest of the films in their hotel rooms.” The festival also canceled the closing ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, he added, and instead will hold a mini press conference to announce the winning films and prizes. Several singers even announced the cancellation of their concerts, including Tamer Hosni and Lebanese singer Assi al-Hallani. The Awladna International Art Forum for the Gifted, a forum for children with disabilities, announced the postponement of its fourth edition previously scheduled for Friday, and the cancellation of the festival s press conference which was set for Tuesday at the Cairo Opera House. The forum s president Suhair Abdel Qadir accepted the cabinet s decision in order to ensure the public s safety. The president of the Cairo Opera House Magdy Saber meanwhile announced that all concerts and events at the opera house have been canceled until further notice. He said the opera house s position in this matter is particularly sensitive as it cooperates with a large of number of foreigners, including musicians, bands, and ballet dancers from various countries. Courses at the opera house have also been suspended, he added. The Theater House s head Ismail Mukhtar told Al-Masry Al-Youm that all theatrical performances have also been suspended. However, not all institutions have stopped their activities. The chairman of the Sharm El-Sheikh International Theater Festival for Youth, Mazen al-Gharabawy, said that the postponement of the fifth session set for April 1 is still to be determined. Preparations for the festival are underway according to schedule unless a postponement decision is issued, he said. And a member of the Chamber of Film Industry, producer Hisham Abdel Khalek, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “There is no decision yet regarding cinemas specifically, though I think that if schools are suspended then of course cinemas will be closed. But we have not yet been notified of any decision in this regard.” He added that as public awareness of the disease rose, revenues this week were very low. Most people are already abstaining from theaters, he said, while others believe there is no reason to panic.

Spotify, the world s leading music platform, on Monday launched a worldwide campaign celebrating the role women play in music with a section highlighting the top ten most-streamed female artists so far this year. Billie Eilish, 18, topped the list for Egypt and the rest of the world in January and February with song hearings exceeding 10.3 billion. Roughly 60 million people listened to Eilish s songs monthly, with 1.2 billion hearings for her hit “Bad Guy”. Her theme for the new James Bond film “No Time to Die” (2020), starring Daniel Craig and Rami Malek, was recently released. Eilish is an American singer and songwriter who garnered media attention in 2016 when she uploaded the song “Ocean Eyes” to Sound Cloud. She made history as the youngest and second person ever to win the four main Grammy categories (Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year) in the same year. In 2019, TIME placed Eilish on its inaugural Time 100 next list. American singer Halsey ranked as the second most popular singer in Egypt so far, followed by Sia Furler, Camilla Cabello, Tones and I, Selena Gomez. According to Spotify, Billie Eillish, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Camila Cabello ranked the top five most-streamed female artists in the world Egypt s own Sherine Abdel Wahab ranked seventh among the most popular female artists in Egypt, followed by Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa and Fairuz. Abdel Wahab s voice has been hailed as among the most powerful and distinct in Egypt and the Arab world. Her first album “Free Mix3 – Tamer & Sherine”, with Tamer Hosni, debuted on September 2002 with sales hitting 20 million copies across the Middle East and North Africa. She has even dabbled in acting, starring in the film “Mido Mashakel” in 2003 and the TV series “Tareey” in 2005.

Disneyland Paris says a male backstage cast member has tested positive for COVID-19 but that the park will remain open. The staffer, who was not named and whose age is not known, was already on sick leave when Disney was notified about the infection Sunday. He is receiving treatment. Park officials said since the infected cast member worked backstage he was not in contact with the public. Cast members in contact with him with have been asked to stay at home and seek medical attention if they become ill. Disneyland Paris had already reinforced sanitation procedures, such as extra cleaning of outdoor sites. All three Asian parks -- Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort - have been closed over the virus outbreak. Disney said Shanghai Disney Resort partially resumed operations Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) — The American Film Institute says it is postponing its 48th annual AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute honoring Julie Andrews in an apparent response to the new coronavirus outbreak. The organization originally planned to give Andrews its Life Achievement Award on April 25 in Los Angeles. It will be rescheduled for early summer. “AFI s decision to postpone the event is simply in response to the rapidly evolving nature of current events and our promise to ensure the well-being of the artists and audience that gather each year to celebrate America s art form,” AFI CEO and President Bob Gazzale said in a statement Saturday. “This move will allow our full attention to focus on the many gifts that Julie Andrews has given the world.” AFI did not directly cite the virus outbreak that officials in numerous countries, including the United States, are trying to contain. The postponement is one of several changes that have been made in recent days to entertainment industry events, including Friday s decision to cancel the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, and a move earlier this week to delay the release of the new James Bond Film “No Time to Die” to later this year. Andrews acting career has spanned several decades, winning an Academy Award in 1965 for her starring role in “Mary Poppins.” She also starred in “The Sound of Music” and “The Princess Diaries.” The 84-year-old won two Grammy Awards and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Andrews will be the 48th recipient of the prestigious honor from the AFI, joining Mel Brooks, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Denzel Washington.

Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram is set to appear in the comedy series “Nesaa men Dahab” (Women from Gold), which stars Nabila Ebeid and Nadia el-Gendy and will hit TV screens this Ramadan. Ajram will perform the series theme song, which was written by Tamer Hussein, composed by Walid Saad and arranged by Ahmed Ibrahim. Actors and actresses including Samiha Ayoub, Hala Fakher, Ahmed Fahmy, Rogena, Bayoumi Fouad, Mustafa Abu Sarea, Mayan al-Sayed, Badria Tolba, Hanady Mehany, Khalid Anwar, Soliman Eid, and Haifa Wahby will also have roles in the new series, with the full cast to be announced at a later date. The comedy series revolves around two women, played by Nabila Ebeid (75) and Nadia el-Gendy (73) who buy a villa, only to discover that they were swindled by the owner of the property. The two women face numerous set-backs together that test their friendship and eventually emerge stronger from the entire ordeal. Ebeid, Gendy, Ayoub and Fakher have already begun filming on set at a villa in Lebanon s capital Beirut. Ebeid and Gendy have appeared in numerous films and TV shows and agreed to star side-by-side in the series in 2019, having previously competed with each other for various starring roles in Egyptian cinema in the 1980 s. Ebeid has taken leading roles in the television dramas El-Ammah Nour (Aunt Nour; 2003) and El-Bawaba El-Taniya (The Second Gate; 2009). Gendy, meanwhile, is sometimes nicknamed “Nigmat al-gmaheer” due to the commercial success of her movies in the 1990s. She is also well known for her “femme fatale” roles and spy movies produced in the context of the Egyptian-Israeli conflict, such as “El Gasousa Hekmat Fahmy” (The Spy Hekmat Fahmy; 1994) and “Mohemma Fi Tel Aviv” (Mission in Tel Aviv; 1992).

Egypt s Health Ministry has dispatched a medical team of 60 doctors and nurses to the workplace of the country s second confirmed coronavirus case to conduct a comprehensive medical survey of anyone who might contacted the patient, medical sources announced Tuesday. The sources stated that samples taken from the second case, a foreigner of Canadian citizenship, tested positive. PCR tests were also conducted for the 1,500 workers at the site, with the sources confirming that the samples will be taken in for analysis. The workplace has been quarantined with no workers allowed to leave or enter. During the two week quarantine period the medical team will take samples every two days, measure temperatures three times a day, monitor the general health condition of everyone there and provide full medical care. All those in direct contact with the case will be tested as well, the sources said. The Canadian patient is currently hospitalized in al-Negaila Hospital s quarantine center, receiving medical care from the center s preventive medicine team and is in reportedly stable condition. As precaution the Health Ministry has also quarantined the driver of the car who transferred the Canadian national to the Quarantine Center and the company s nurse following the case on the workplace in Matrouh. Both driver and nurse are Egyptians and yet to test positive for the coronavirus, though they are receiving preventive health follow-ups.

The 8th edition of the international cultural festival “India by the Nile” (IBN), presented by the Embassy of India in Egypt along with Teamwork Arts Company, kicked off on Monday, March 2 and is scheduled to run until March 10. This year s edition will take place in several governorates including Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said and includes a number of activities and cultural events, from musical folklore shows to classic and Bollywood dance performances and dozens of different foods and sweets. “The festival aims to create a vibrant platform where people can come together to celebrate and enjoy. People here really appreciate the Indian culture,” Team Work s Executive Producer and the festival s producer Syed Shams Jawaid told Egypt Independent. He added that cultural festivals are usually impactful because they don t require language, enabling people to communicate through diverse forms of art. IBN festival has been running for eight consecutive years, and was launched in 2013 in an effort to boost the tourism sector after the January 2011 uprising and the political instability that followed, and to convey the message that Egypt is safe for foreign visitors and ready to host these kinds of events, Jawaid explained. Jawaid also discussed how the festival has succeeded in giving a boost to Egypt s tourism industry, pointing out that around 500 Indian artists have had the chance to visit Egypt since the launch of the festival s first edition. Egypt and India have long dedicated efforts to bring the world s largest civilizations together. Besides the IBN festival, both countries teamed up in 2019 in a conference dubbed “Know India,” which aimed to enhance bilateral cooperation through the launch of new tourism programs. In 2018, the number of Indian tourists to Egypt reached 126,000, in comparison with just 66,000 in 2017. Jawaid also said the festival this year welcomed back a Bollywood dance troupe, which was notably absent last year from the festival s 7th edition. This year s festival includes a variety of shows. The Kutle Khan Project — a collective of Rajasthani folk musicians and named after Indian/Sufi Folk artist Kutle Khan — are set to tour three governorates: Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. Moreover, Kathak, a classical dance form from India which recounts stories through exquisite choreography and facial expressions, will be showcased by the charismatic Astha Dixit and her ensemble, who will bring to life the timeless words of Sufi poets, according to the festival s statement. En route to Bollywood — another traditional Indian dance show — will highlight the electrifying music and dance of Bollywood films through a series of dance performances across multiple cities. Additionally, Gilles Chuyen, a well-known Bollywood choreographer, will provide multiple dance workshops in Cairo and Port Said, the statement said. The Semiramis InterContinental Hotel in Cairo will also host an Indian Food Fiesta from March 4 through March 8. Acclaimed Indian celebrity Chef Vikram Udaygiri will prepare the menu for the event, where attendees will be able to take a journey in Indian fine dining as they sample some of the country s vast array of cuisines and flavors. “As India by the Nile enters its eighth year, we look back with gratitude at the warmth and affection with which friends have received this festival in the past,” Rahul Kulshreshth said in an official statement. “It is indeed due to their love for Indian culture that IBN is seen as one of the biggest foreign cultural festivals in Egypt.”

Egyptian comedian and actor Adel Imam has finished filming the TV series “Valentino,” which is expected to premier during this year s Ramadan drama season. Imam is playing the lead role in the series, which revolves around a businessman who owns an international school and is married to a so-called “stubborn” woman. The couple suffers numerous conflicts during the course of the series, prompting the main character to wonder if he should marry again. Love then brings Imam s character together with another woman, who he meets by chance. The drama is written by Ayman Bahgat Qamar and directed by Rami Imam. Other actors in the series include Dala Abdel Aziz, Dalia al-Behairy, Wafaa Sadek, Amr Wahba, Huda al-Mufti, Mohamed al-Kilany, and Rania Mahmoud Yassin. Imam missed the Ramadan television season last year for the first time in seven years. He had previously been set to star in “Valentino” in 2019, but the show s release was delayed. Meanwhile, during a phone-in with TV host Amr Adib on his show al-Hekaya (The Story) on the MBC Misr Channel, the 79-year-old actor and comedian ridiculed rumors that spread on social media over the weekend that he had passed away, stressing that he was in good health. “Why do you want me dead?” Imam joked. While responding to similar online rumors last July, Imam again reassured his fans that he was not ill, commenting: “Have you killed me off again?!”

Egyptian Culture Minister Enas Abdel-Dayem launched the first edition of the Dendera Festival for Music and Singing in Qena governorate on Friday. The opening ceremony was held at the Dendera Temple yard, attended by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anany, Governor of Qena Ashraf al-Daoudi, President of the Cairo Opera House Magdy Saber, President of the General Authority of Cultural Palaces Ahmed Awad, Chairman of the General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO) Haitham al-Hajj, and about 8,000 spectators. Luxor and Qena folklore troupes presented a group of folkloric tableaux, which was followed by a performance from the Black Theama band after which Medhat Saleh sang a bouquet of his works. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi declaring 2020 as the Year of Culture and Awareness shows faith in the ability of soft powers to develop society, Abdel-Dayem said. She added that the Dendera Festival is Qena s first festival of this kind and reflects the government s focus on Upper Egypt to bring purposeful art there and confront intolerance and extremism. Egyptians across thousands of years have built an immortal civilization that continues to fascinate the world in its grandness and diversity, the minister said, with unique art reflecting the Egyptian identity. Abdel-Dayem thanked the Tourism and Antiquities Minister and the Governor of Qena for supporting the festival, and paid tribute to everyone who participated and contributed in organizing events. Anany expressed his joy at the huge turnout from the people of Qena in an archaeological site hailed as one of Upper Egypt s most beautiful temples, saying that they can get in touch with their homeland s antiquities and fine art. This festival comes as part of a series of cultural and artistic activities held with the Culture Ministry across various archaeological sites, he added. Celebrations at the festival also included a book fair as well as an exhibition of plastic arts and handicrafts.