Egypt Lights Up the Great Pyramid of Giza With 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' Message - OkayAfrica

There's a certain irony here in this photo, but I've read that Egypt has closed all antiquities sites to tourists. Glenn



https://www.okayafrica.com/egypt-lights-up-the-great-pyramid-of-giza-with-coronavirus-message/

Damola Durosomo

Mar. 31, 2020 09:45AM EST

(Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

People take pictures of the Great pyramid of Kheops at the Giza plateau outside the Egyptian capital Cairo where a laser projection writes "Stay home, all united" on March 30, 2020, amid the spread of the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus.

Egypt Lights Up the Great Pyramid of Giza With 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' Message

One of the world's 'Great Wonders' was used to show a message of solidarity to healthcare workers fighting coronavirus.

As the coronavirus pandemic grows, people and governments across the globe are taking action to spread a message of unity and safety.

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiques did so in a major way on Monday, by lighting up both sides of the Great Pyramid of Giza with messages showing appreciation for health care workers and reminding people to stay in their homes in order to combat the spread of the virus.

The words "Stay Home, Stay Safe, Thank You to Those Keeping Us Safe," were displayed in both English and Arabic in flashing red and green light across the ancient pyramid.

"The tourism sector is one of the most affected industry but our priority is health," said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani during a press conference in front of the pyramid.

Since the onset of the virus, Egypt has taken measures to disinfect its ancient sites, and has been commended by WHO for the proactive safety measures it has enacted, according to a report from AFP.

Egypt was one of the first African countries to record cases of the novel coronavirus earlier this mont. According to BBC's coronavirus in Africa tracker, there have been 656 confirmed cases and 41 deaths in the country. On Sunday, the country announced the death of Ahmed el-Lawah, the first doctor to succumb to the disease.

There are now 5,391 cases of coronavirus across Africa. To stay up to date about how the pandemic is affecting the continent, check out our country-by-country roundup.

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