Coronavirus crisis spells trouble for many Egyptian breadwinners

CAIRO - Squatting with other day labourers under a bridge in Cairo, 48-year-old Yasser Nagi says he has waited in vain for two weeks for work on a construction site so he can feed his family.

More than a dozen workers interviewed by Reuters said 500 pounds a month would not cover their bills. A typical unskilled factory worker earns 2,000 pounds a month, businessmen say. To help irregular workers, the government has launched an online system for them to apply for the monthly payment. Construction and port workers as well as sailors, miners and other workers are eligible

While the government is finalising its own procedures, non-governmental organisations have been screening applications and several thousands have already been approved, he said. He could not be reached for comment on Ibrahim's case.The impact of the pandemic is already making itself felt. Egypt's tourism sector typically accounts for an estimated 15% of GDP, but hotels and all tourist sites are shut, including, for the first time in recent history, the Pyramids of Giza.

The curfew has reduced the working hours of those who still have jobs and civil servants cannot top up their salaries by working as taxi drivers at night, as some normally do.

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