Egyptian PhD student hopeful to return to China to resume studies

Mohammed Nagah, an Egyptian information technology research assistant from Cairo, has expressed hope that he could return soon to China where he is pursuing his PhD.

Nagah, who works for Egypt's National Research Center, was picked up by the Egyptian government for the scholarship at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan city of central China's Hubei Province.

He had to leave China when Egypt evacuated its nationals from Wuhan in February after the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The young man said that he is confident that the Chinese government has the ability to fight aginst the coronavirus.

Now China has largely curbed the spread of COVID-19 and business activities have steadily returned to normal.

Nagah showed admiration for China and its people who strictly followed the instructions and measures of the government to combat the virus.

"During the current crisis, I was impressed with the culture and awareness of the Chinese people," he said, adding that the Chinese people demonstrated their love and loyalty to their country during this crisis.

Nagah said that the Chinese government's response to the outbreak of COVID-19 was great, stressing that the government had one concern, which is saving peoples' lives and eliminating the virus.

Regarding the preventive measures in Egypt, Nagah said that the country is dealing professionally with the outbreak of the coronavirus, stressing that Egypt has the capabilities to contain the virus.

"I was placed in quarantine in Egypt after my return, and the procedures that the Egyptian medical staff implemented are all highly professional," he said.

Egypt, a country with a population of 100 million people, has confirmed 294 COVID-19 cases as of Saturday, including 10 deaths.

The most populous Arab country has been recently taking strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, including temporary closure of schools and universities, suspending flights, reducing employees and sterilizing public transport vehicles, government offices, hotels and tourist attractions.

Egypt also temporarily shut down mosques and churches nationwide, while coffee shops, clubs, malls, restaurants and other entertainment places were told to close from early evening to early morning over coronavirus concerns.