Egyptians Celebrate End of Ramadan as Pandemic Winds Down
After two years of coronavirus pandemic-driven disruptions, the Egyptian government has relaxed restrictions on places of worship and business during the holy seasons of Ramadan and Easter, citing declining infection, hospitalization, and death rates. For VOA, Hamada Elrasam captures Egyptians releasing their worries and embracing their communities. Captions by Elle Kurancid.
5
For the first time since Egypt imposed pandemic closures and tight restrictions on places of worship, Muslims gather at a shrine inside the historic Al-Sayeda Zainab Mosque, in Cairo, April 17, 2022. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
6
Sameh teaches his daughter, Mohrael, how to weave palm leaves inside the Church of Saint Samaan the Tanner, which permitted larger celebratory gatherings this Easter season, in Cairo, April 17, 2022. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
7
A Christian child's right wrist is tattooed with a traditional Coptic cross at the Church of Saint Samaan the Tanner, in Cairo, April 17, 2022. (H. Elrasam/VOA)
8
Chinese tourists visit the Church of Saint Samaan the Tanner, in Cairo, April 17, 2022. Egypt's tourism sector saw a 70% drop in revenue in 2020, before bouncing back by the end of last year, and then taking another hit with the Russia-Ukraine war. (H. Elrasam/VOA)