"If you are visiting the Cairo Tower alone, you will be denied entry" is a new policy at Cairo Tower following a university student's suicide in June, reported Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Al-Masry Al-Youm has received complaints since June stating that Cairo Tower employees are denying entry over fear that single entries will commit suicide.
Al-Masry Al-Youm photojournalist Islam Farouk attempted to verify the complaints by visiting the tower alone.
Farouk was denied entry by the tower's security guards despite stressing that he traveled from Sharqiya to Cairo particularly to spend a day at Cairo Tower.
After a quarrel with the guards, they allowed him to enter the tower and to stay for only 15 minutes, stressing that banning individual visits was for fear of suicide attempts. Two guards followed Farouk during his visit, saying it was for his safety.
Farouk was forced to leave the tower after 15 minutes despite paying the full ticket price.
Farouk asked to meet with tower officials, and security led him to Colonel Yousry Gerges. Gerges confirmed that the decision to ban visitors coming to the tower alone was agreed upon verbally between tower employees and was not made official or public.
Gerges added that the policy also applies to foreign visitors, not just Egyptians.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
