Egypt's Min. of Culture to resume, regularize work in 16 libraries in 10 governorates

CAIRO – 2 July 2020: Egypt’s Minister of Culture Inas Abdel Dayem announced that work will resume in 16 libraries across 10 governorates on July 5, as a start for the gradual return of various cultural, intellectual and artistic activities in Egypt.

The remaining libraries will resume work during the second half of July.

Abdel Dayem said that the resumption of work in a number of libraries affiliated with the various sectors of the Ministry of Culture comes within the framework of a time plan to restore intellectual mobility and provide cultural services for the public and researchers.

She stressed that the precautionary measures to preserve the safety of the public and workers are being implemented.

The measures include receiving 25 percent of the libraries’ total capacity, placing self-sterilizing devices on the entry gates, conducting temperature measurements, committing to social-distancing, comprehensive disinfection of all facilities, distributing informative hand-outs to visitors and the formation of committees to follow up on the implementation of these procedures.

It is worth noting that the first stage of the plan includes 12 libraries affiliated to the General Egyptian Book Organization, which are the International Book Center, and the 26th of July Library in Cairo. This is in addition to the libraries of Giza, Minya, Assiut, Aswan, Tanta, Mahalla, Damanhur, Ismailia, Port Fouad and Mansoura, as well as the sales outlets of the General Egyptian Book Organization, which will operate over two shifts to prevent overcrowding.

Moreover, the Literature Center at the Children's Literature Center, the Egyptian National Library and Archives, Greater Cairo Library and the Translator Library at the National Center for Translation are all set to operate within the first stage of the plan.