Algeria relaxes confinement to save economy
The Algerian regime decided this day to relax the confinement and authorize the opening of shops to tackle the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its fragile economy, which is in the throes of an acute crisis due to the collapse of oil and gas prices, the raw materials on which it depends.
Although the virus has officially killed nearly 500 people and infected more than 6,000, the prime minister's office announced that shops selling construction and public works materials, such as ceramics, paint, carpentry, plumbing and piping, have been authorized to open.
But also of household appliances, fabrics, jewelry, clothing and shoes, cosmetics and perfumes, furniture and office furniture, pastries and traditional pastries, in addition to hairdressers.
The resumption of commercial activity on the streets was announced just 24 hours after the regime also decided to shorten the curfew that had been imposed in nine of the country's main cities, including the capital.
The relaxation of confinement coincides with the beginning of the sacred month of daytime fasting or Ramadan, a time of religious abstinence that is nevertheless characterized by a greater consumption of food - especially sweets - during the nights, when large dinners are traditional until late at night.
Ramadan is also characterised by unusual activity and mobility at night, as families often gather to break the fast together, pray and watch the traditional television series.
This year, however, religious authorities have asked believers to abstain from family gatherings and have supported the regime's decision to close the mosques.
The resumption of commercial activity also coincides with the sharp drop in oil and gas prices, which have deepened the serious economic crisis the country has been experiencing since the previous collapse in 2014.
At that time, the Algerian regime opted to draw on foreign exchange reserves - estimated at $178 billion at the time - to maintain social peace and a socialist-style economy sustained by state employment and subsidies for housing, food, electricity and fuel, a strategy that has consumed half of those currencies.
