Egyptian Chronicles’ Movers and Shakers of 2020

Welcome to the 2020 edition of Egyptian Chronicles' Movers and Shakers.
Here is my list of those I believe that have been the shakers and movers of 2020.
I started writing down this post at 2:44 PM, yet once again my epic procrastination and being burned out for the year rules.

It is not procrastination, more than it is being burned out between work and anxiety this year.

I guess this year one must be thankful for because it taught us that there are some fundamental things we took for granted but we learned in 2020 about their importance above them health, freedom of movement and family.

That tiny virus coming from China’s Wahun turned the world upside and down and it will take a lot to recover.

We are still on a verge of a new world that is shaping as a result of the economic and political consequences and repercussions of that pandemic.

I feel sorry for everyone who lost a relative or a friend in this pandemic. I feel sorry for everyone who lost his or her job or business because of this pandemic.

Hopefully inshallah 2021 will be better.

Now enough of that wise talk and let’s go to our movers and shakers
This is not the list of the top people but rather those who made an impact whether positive or negative based on my own views
This list is without any order.

These names were the ones that came into my mind in those few hours.

Locally :

Nadeen Ashraf, Mayar Sherif, Hala Zayed and Afsha 

• Egypt’s Health sector workers: The current frontline protecting millions of Egyptians despite we are not the richest country in the world. Egypt’s Health sector lost more nearly 300 people from doctors, nurses, physicians and administrators and they are still standing up as much as they can. This year we know first-hand that the health sector is truly part of our national security.
• Egyptian Medical Syndicate: For defending the rights of Doctors’ long lost financial rights and speaking up despite the attacks and accusations.
• Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed: A year to remember for Zayed who will not forget 2020 by all measures. I do not have doubt in my mind that when she swore in as a minister, she did not imagine things would turn like this and her ministry would be in the focus. I am waiting for her memories already.
• Egypt’s Education Minister Tarek Shawky: Usually the ministers of education in Egypt are under fire but this man is under double fire with his plan to upgrade the education system “The ultimate dream of every education minister in Egypt since I was a student” or his decisions to continue study in schools despite coronavirus “a  decision which is always cancelled by a presidential directive to save the days and kids winning the hearts of the concerned parents. Shawky Vs. Mommies are still on.FYI, he may not be in the upcoming cabinet 

Coronavirus on The Nile : Official COVID-19 cases in Egypt by governorates

Last Wednesday, Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed held a press conference to discuss the latest developments concerning the coronavirus situation in Egypt.

Zayed stated at last Egypt was having its second wave moment of the pandemic, it was not a big secret.

She also spoke about how the official numbers of coronavirus witnessed a leap in the past two weeks.

This was not secret too.

Because aside of every day talk between Egyptians themselves concerning the real numbers of cases and fatalities, we got members of the official coronavirus committee in the government speaking in mainstream media about how the real numbers of coronavirus patients are higher than the official numbers because patients do not go to the hospital except in late deteriorating case according to them.

Minister Hala Zayed at the Ministry of health's presser in Cairo 
last week by Mohamed El-Raai

Now one of the things that were important in the Health Minister’s presser that was completely ignored by most of the news outlet is the official percentage of COVID-19 cases in Egypt by governorates.

I believe that the ministry of health should including daily cases per governorate in its daily tally because it will warn the citizens.

Already countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Lebanon are doing so.

One of the reasons we are having an increasing number of cases every day is that false feeling of being safe during the pandemic.

Anyhow according to the statement of the minister, Cairo tops the cases of coronavirus since February with nearly 31.7% of the cases.

Merry Christmas 2020 from Egyptian Chronicles

Merry Christmas to all Egyptian Chronicles friends and readers who are celebrating around the globe tonight.

I hope next year inshallah, it will be better.

Lady Mary, baby Jesus and Joseph arriving Egypt's Giza 

Merry Christmas 

Remembering Nabil Farouk , the man who succeeded in his mission

Famous Egyptian novelist Nabil Farouk passed away last 9 December 2020.

The renowned author passed away after having a heart attack in Cairo.

The physician-turned-into a young adults author had a long history with heart disease.

Now, this is a personal post, not a professional obituary. I can’t arrange my thoughts because it is hard especially now to mourn another person from those who were part of my teenagerhood and my views in the world.

Nabil Farouk and his brainchild "Adham Sabry" in the portrait
behind "Wikipedia" 

Once Nabil Farouk wrote that he had begun to write the “The Man of The Impossible” series, he and the publisher, the underrated Hamdy Mustafa had to take the permission of the General Intelligence and national security and that one of the officials told him that it was his mission as an author targeting teens and young adults to bring up a generation “that loves the country”.

I believe Nabil Farouk succeeded in that mission beyond his imagination or that official’s imagination.

Kodak Agfa Presents : Egypt’s Temple of Luxor in photos 2012 “Part 2”

Hello again,

We are back to in time and place to Egypt’s Temple of Luxor in February 2002. You can check the first part of this series of posts here.

We stopped at the Sun court or rather the first courtyard inside the temple complex itself as made by Ramses II.

Before hosting a small church and then above it a small mosque and shrine for a Sufi sheikh born in Baghdad, the Ramses II court look quite different.

Ramses II court 

For instance, it was mostly covered by a ceiling, but that ceiling disappeared by time.

Just like the pylon, it was reportedly coloured too.

Ramses II court 

Coronavirus on the Nile : A Very COVID-19 Special Christmas coverage

In Advance Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you regardless COVID-19.

This is the start of our two-weeks-live-updated-coverage for all things coronavirus in the Arab world.

It is the last two weeks of 2020, the year of COVID-19 by all measures.

Currently, the talk in Egypt is about the vaccine as Egypt received the first batch of vaccines from China and whether we should take or wait.

 A Very COVID-19 Special Christmas "Shutter stock" 

It is big talk and from what I see on social media, many will wait to see its effects in Egypt.

The numbers of cases are still rising and expert warning the peak will be in those couple of weeks.

Yet again the public seems to ignore all warnings and precautions when it comes to masks and social distance.

Personally in the previous two weeks, I had five cases of coronavirus in my family where four of them are young people under 40 and I got a colleague of mine in work who got the virus too.

Many banks and companies are back to the rotation system to reduce the number of employees.

I began to read many deaths due to coronavirus on Facebook once again

I work from home now. 

Please stay safe and stay at home or wear a mask and follow the social distancing rules. 

Another thing, Time Magazine can choose Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as it wants but for me, the true heroes of the year are the Medical teams from scientists, doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, administrators and maintenance workers.

Anyhow, let’s start our two weeks live coverage for coronavirus in the Arab world.

Coronavirus on the Nile: Ten months of COVID-19 in Egypt in graph

Another monthly post as part of the COVID-19 coverage in Egyptian Chronicles.

This time it is a quick look into COVID-19 numbers in Egypt after ten months, after the month of November that witnessed a surge in the number of daily coronavirus cases.

According to Egyptian officials, Egypt is having its second wave of the pandemic.

Seen in Cairo by Moussa El-Zerif in November
An Egyptian old couple wearing masks in Cairo 

They are all based on official numbers released by the Egyptian Health Ministry.

Click on the tabs to move to each graph.

Coronavirus on the Nile: Egypt’s COVID-19 November official numbers in Graph

This is the time of our monthly post about the coronavirus pandemic and its numbers in graphs.

yet before we go into our graphs, I must hint out when the head of the state aka Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned the public and said that people should wear their masks and follow social distancing rules.

At an Egyptian Metro Station in November by Sahl Bin Abdel Rahman

According to all health officials in the country, we entered the second wave of coronavirus officially in November and so it was not a surprise to see an increase in the daily rate of infections in this month.

We had constant warnings that we return to the partial lockdown if people do not follow the rules.

We are back to read and hear about cases in our areas and families once again. In fact, I forgot to say that this is the month that witnessed how Mo Salah and Mohamed EL-Nanny got COVID-19 in Egypt before they recovered. 

Now to the graphs based on the numbers released by Egypt’s Ministry of Health on a daily basis