EGYPT: Swine flu fear closes foreign universities

20 September 2009

Egypt has ordered foreign universities and schools to close until 3 October over worries about swine flu, a Health Ministry official said last week, reports AFP. Egyptian universities and schools were due to re-open in the last week of September, but foreign institutions started earlier this month. The government decided to delay the academic year by a week.

American University of Cairo vice president Brian MacDougall said the university was asked on Tuesday to delay classes, which the university began on 6 September. A spokesman for the state-funded University of Cairo said classes had been scheduled to start on 26 September.

An official at the French embassy confirmed that it has been told all French schools must close until next month. A Western diplomatic official said the decision affected US, British, French and Italian schools, as well as others.
Full report on the AFP site

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