A strange scene was recorded on Saturday evening in the Omranieh area, south of Cairo, where a seventy-year-old and his wife were forced to circumvent the government decision while buying gold jewelry, after the shop owner ordered the lights to be turned off and sent a worker to monitor the arrival of inspectors, after nine o'clock in the evening, the moment the decision to close commercial stores was implemented.
This decision comes within the framework of the Egyptian government's plan to rationalize energy consumption, in light of the Iranian war, which stipulates the closure of shops, malls, and cafes daily at nine o'clock in the evening, with exceptions for food stores, pharmacies, and restaurants classified as tourist, and allowing delivery service around the clock. Despite these exceptions, the circumvention of some merchants and cafes of the decision reflects the extent of citizens' displeasure with its impact on their daily lives, especially in popular areas, where the applications of the decision differ from one street to another. Mahmoud Ramadan, a retired government employee, confirmed to media sites that the street where the gold shop was located was completely dark, while the shops were open after the lights were turned off, while other streets around his house remained open normally, which reflects the great disparity in the implementation of the decision.
