Cairo Governor Dr. Abdel-Azim al-Wazir said Monday, March 7, that a 24-hour ban on live poultry will now be in force instead of a 12-hour ban. Checkpoints will also be in place around Cairo to prevent access to the city.

Al-Wazir praised the president of the Cleaning Authority for impounding a vehicle full of live poultry on its way to the market to be sold. The vehicle was handed over to the veterinary department where poultry was slaughtered. Al-Wazir warned that implementation of those decisions will be enforced without leniency.

Citizens were urged to cooperate with the State to put an end to the bird flu epidemic. A change of eating customs has also called been for. We need to make sure that our poultry is slaughtered at officially authorized slaughterhouses, where poultry is medically checked and is given a bill of health.