Egypt to extend closing hours for shops

Shops in Egypt will be allowed to stay open until 11 pm five days a week when shoppers return from 17 April, the government announced on Friday.

In this regard, shopping malls and stores will be able to extend their opening hours from 07:00 to 22:00 from Saturday to Wednesday, to help customers avoid peak times and to ease the pressure on transport, according to the Ministry of Local Development.

Flexible working hours in restaurants, cafes and shopping malls will also be extended during weekends, religious and national events.

In the same context, shops and markets can open until midnight on Tuesday and Friday.

According to an official statement by Egypt's Minister Mohamed Sharawaay, the minister declared" Shops in Egypt will close at 11 pm in summer."

All shops will also open an hour longer during weekends. Moreover, restaurants and cafés will open from 5 pm to 1 am in the upcoming days.

On the other hand, Pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets will be exempted from the decision.