CAIRO – Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal Monday issued directives to head of municipalities to carry out patrols to ensure the abidance of commercial shops by the new closing hours that will be effective as of Monday night, July 1 and will extend till end of September.
The governor pleaded with owners of commercial shops, restaurants, workshops and coffee shops to abide by the time set for opening and closing the commercial shops, in line with directives of Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli to adopt measures aiming at rationalising the consumption of electricity which spiked amid the unprecedented scorching heatwaves that the country.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Local Development’s announced that the opening and closing times for shops, effective from Monday, 1 July until Thursday, 26 September.
According to the ministry’s decision, the commercial shops will open from 7am to 10pm on weekdays and from 7am to 11pm on weekends (Thursday and Friday).
Shopping malls will operate from 10am to 12am on weekdays and from 10am to 1am on weekends and public holidays.
Restaurants, cafes, and bazaars will be open from 6am to 12am on weekdays and from 6am to 1am on weekends and public holidays, with delivery services and takeaways permitted 24 hours.
Supermarkets, bakeries, fruit and vegetable shops, hypermarkets, and pharmacies are exempted from these operating times.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced last week that commercial shops would close by 10 pm starting in July, while pharmacies, supermarkets, and restaurants would close by 1 am as part of the government’s plan to conserve electricity.
Madbouly pledged to stop the daily power cuts by the third week of July and until the end of summer.
