Despite Corona and the scarcity of buying ... crowds in the cattle market in Egypt, just before Eid al-Adha

Thousands of Egyptians defied the government's warnings related to the Coronavirus, and flocked - on Thursday - to a large cattle market near Cairo, without putting up masks or taking into account the social divergence, a week before the blessed Eid al-Adha.

Usually, the "Al Manashe" livestock market in Giza is crowded with sellers and buyers before the holiday, and the number has not declined this year, but there are very few expatriates with enough money to buy.

"The world is standing like you do not see," said the merchant Ahmed Abdel-Rasoul. "The bahim is standing on the back of Yeshil under (too many), neither in selling nor in evil."

He added that he and others had lowered their prices, but that it was rare to find a buyer though.

The employee Mansour Abdel Alim, who is from the neighboring Qalyubia Governorate, said that he wanted to buy a sheep: “I used to buy a dinar (a sheep’s head), I found it very expensive, I don’t know how to respond to the amount that I have. A dollar) I will not find anything in the thousands of hills that are just (in my ability).

He added that he bought a sheep last year for 5 thousand pounds, because his material conditions were better.

Merchants also complained of raids carried out by the authorities repeatedly to disperse the crowds for fear of the spread of the virus.

Officials are urging people to use masks to reduce the spread of infection, and the authorities have imposed them on public transportation and shops, and violators have vowed fines of up to 4,000 pounds ($ 250).

The Egyptian economy was affected by the Corona pandemic, with the collapse of tourism and the threat to remittances from workers abroad, due to the decline in oil revenues in the Arab Gulf countries where many Egyptians work.

In mid-March, the country imposed measures of public isolation, including a curfew at night, a ban on large public gatherings, and the closure of restaurants and theaters. Most of these measures have been lifted since late June.

Egypt recorded - according to Reuters - as of Thursday 89,745 cases of corona virus, including 4,440 deaths, and daily infections have decreased in the past two weeks.