Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Egypt to allow open-air wedding parties starting Sept. 21

Egypt to allow open-air wedding parties starting Sept. 21

Wedding parties will only be allowed in open-air halls in tourist institutions and hotels that have obtained the government’s health certificate amid the coronavirus crisis, Cabinet’s spokesman Nader Saad said.

As Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli on Monday headed a meeting on COVID-19, the government committee on managing the novel virus announced a set of decisions, including resuming open-air wedding ceremonies starting September 21.

This comes as the company has witnessed a significant decline in coronavirus cases in August, allowing the country to resume international flights and lifting curfew.

Wedding parties will only be allowed in open-air halls in tourist institutions and hotels that have obtained the government’s health certificate amid the coronavirus crisis, Cabinet’s spokesman Nader Saad said.

A maximum of 300 people will be allowed to attend these parties, he added.

The decision is also applied on meetings and conferences; the halls will only operate with 50 percent of their capacities, Saad said, with a maximum of 150 people.

Cultural fairs can also be held, starting with the Alexandria International Book Fair, in open air and only 50 percent of their capacity can be used.

Also, training of second-class football clubs will be allowed to resume, as well as sport activities including the use of swimming pools.

The resumption of adult education activities and the reopening of literacy classes are included in the plan.

Also, the Islamic funeral prayers can be resumed at uncovered halls that belong to the mosques.

The Egyptian Health Ministry said late on Sunday that 148 new coronavirus cases and 20 deaths due to the novel virus were reported, raising the total number since the beginning of the outbreak in the country to 100,856 and 5,627 respectively.

As many as 788 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 83,261 so far, the spokesman said.

Since early last month, the daily number of new cases dropped below 200, except for the last week in August, registering a record drop in daily reported cases on August 22 with only 89 new infections, the lowest daily tally since April.

However, Egyptian officials have repeatedly urged caution to avoid a second wave of the pandemic, particularly with the advent of autumn and the beginning of the academic year.

Egypt reported the first confirmed case of the novel virus on February 14, while the first fatality was recorded on March 8.

In August, after five months of almost total suspension of Muslim’s Friday prayer due to spread of the novel virus, Prime Minister Madbouli said big mosques that can maintain coronavirus preventive measures can receive worshippers for the Friday prayer.

Muslims go in large numbers, especially in Arab countries, to perform the Friday prayer every week at the afternoon in mosques, instead of the Zohr prayer, the second among five prayers a day.

In March, the Cabinet announced closing mosques to help curb coronavirus, but few months later it said worshippers will be allowed to perform daily prayers, excluding the Friday prayers and occasional prayers in feasts.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×