Cairo:
Banks, post offices and gas stations were open for business in the Egyptian capital for a second day on Monday, after more than a week of unrest and mass protests demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptians desperate for cash lined up at the newly reopened banks and Cairo's infamous traffic jams reappeared as residents struggled to regain a sense of normalcy.
Cairo slowed to a near standstill after widespread looting and street battles broke out in a near-total breakdown of security.
Businesses closed and traffic was largely absent as residents holed up at home and faced a curfew that at one point started at 3 p.m. (1300GMT), choking off a city once renowned for never sleeping.
The curfew start has since been relaxed to 7 p.m (1700GMT).
"The past seven, eight days affected the entire country," said one local resident, Salamah Hassan. "The banks were closed, the post offices were not open either - when they reopened yesterday everything was back to normal but there are still some queues," he added.
Most stores were open on Sunday for the first time in days, although some were boarded up with signs saying they were "closed due to looting".
Hulking battle tanks on the streets and nervous citizen watch groups manning barricades at night were also vivid reminders that the crisis was far from over, with thousands of protesters still demanding the ouster of the president.
Egyptians desperate for cash lined up at the newly reopened banks and Cairo's infamous traffic jams reappeared as residents struggled to regain a sense of normalcy.
Cairo slowed to a near standstill after widespread looting and street battles broke out in a near-total breakdown of security.
Businesses closed and traffic was largely absent as residents holed up at home and faced a curfew that at one point started at 3 p.m. (1300GMT), choking off a city once renowned for never sleeping.
The curfew start has since been relaxed to 7 p.m (1700GMT).
"The past seven, eight days affected the entire country," said one local resident, Salamah Hassan. "The banks were closed, the post offices were not open either - when they reopened yesterday everything was back to normal but there are still some queues," he added.
Most stores were open on Sunday for the first time in days, although some were boarded up with signs saying they were "closed due to looting".
Hulking battle tanks on the streets and nervous citizen watch groups manning barricades at night were also vivid reminders that the crisis was far from over, with thousands of protesters still demanding the ouster of the president.
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