The Egyptian government has long seen transparency as a weakness, and guarded information as though it were a national security threat. Much like Donald Trump’s White House, Egypt’s leaders have responded to reports about the estimated number of coronavirus infections as though they were a personal attack, rather than a health crisis the entire world is struggling to contain. Egypt forces Guardian journalist to leave after coronavirus story Read moreAnyone found spreading “rumours” about the coronavirus now faces imprisonment and fines. At the time of Michaelson’s report, Egypt’s ministry of health claimed there were a total of 126 confirmed infections. • Timothy E Kaldas is an independent risk adviser and nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

Source: The Guardian March 31, 2020 11:51 UTC