Due to energy crisis, Egypt orders businesses to close at night

Cairo. The Egyptian government is looking for ways to save oil-generated electricity during the United States and Israel’s war with Iran, and has implemented at least one policy that threatens Cairo’s identity as a city that never sleeps.

The government on Saturday imposed new closing times across the country for shops, restaurants and cafes, ordering them to close early and interfering with their ability to operate during critical hours.

“It’s ruinous,” said Youssef Salah, a café owner in Cairo. “It deprives us of our busiest hours.”

It is one of a series of measures the government has taken in recent weeks to mitigate the consequences of the war that has shaken the Middle East and the world economy.

Although Egypt is not a party to the conflict, the most populous Arab country is one of the hardest hit by the repercussions of the war, including rising oil prices and the disruption of shipping routes.

The closures will have serious repercussions on hundreds of thousands of small businesses that are found on almost every avenue, alley and passageway in the country. Some of them, including many restaurants, juice shops and cafes, often operate without closing.

Salah, the cafe owner in Cairo’s middle-class Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood, said he was forced to cut his staff of 35 employees by 40 percent.

However, two days before the decision, some Egyptians evaded the government order.

The decision to close businesses early has also changed the lifestyle of Egyptians, who are used to buying practically anything at any time, especially in large cities such as Cairo and Alexandria.

The government already raised domestic fuel and gas prices earlier this month, as global energy quotes soared with the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial choke point through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.

Global energy prices have soared since the start of the war on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched massive airstrikes against Iran, which responded with strikes on oil and gas infrastructure across the Persian Gulf and restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.