Egypt Lights Up the Great Pyramid of Giza With 'Stay Home, Stay Safe' Message

As the coronavirus pandemic grows, people and governments across the globe are taking action to spread a message of unity and safety.

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiques did so in a major way on Monday, by lighting up both sides of the Great Pyramid of Giza with messages showing appreciation for health care workers and reminding people to stay in their homes in order to combat the spread of the virus.

The words "Stay Home, Stay Safe, Thank You to Those Keeping Us Safe," were displayed in both English and Arabic in flashing red and green light across the ancient pyramid.

"The tourism sector is one of the most affected industry but our priority is health," said Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani during a press conference in front of the pyramid.

Since the onset of the virus, Egypt has taken measures to disinfect its ancient sites, and has been commended by WHO for the proactive safety measures it has enacted, according to a report from AFP.

Egypt was one of the first African countries to record cases of the novel coronavirus earlier this mont. According to BBC's coronavirus in Africa tracker, there have been 656 confirmed cases and 41 deaths in the country. On Sunday, the country announced the death of Ahmed el-Lawah, the first doctor to succumb to the disease.

There are now 5,391 cases of coronavirus across Africa. To stay up to date about how the pandemic is affecting the continent, check out our country-by-country roundup.