New military rulers watched closely as many Egyptians resumed their jobs on the first day of the working week, after issuing a stern warning effectively banning labor protests and telling workers to abandon their revolutionary fervor.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the pyramids at Giza were among the tourist sites that were reopened to the public for the first time in some three weeks. Egypt's lucrative tourist sector was dealt a body blow as foreigners stayed away due to unrest.

There were some pockets of protest in Cairo. Attempting to placate pro-democracy reformers who want swift change, the military said at the weekend constitutional changes paving the way for elections in six months should be ready soon and the hated emergency law would be lifted before the polls.

At pains to distance itself from Mubarak's old guard, the government plans to reshuffle the cabinet, probably on February 21.

The new military rulers were also facing their first foreign policy test on February 20 with two Iranian naval vessels about to sail through the Suez Canal, causing grave concern in Israel.

There were no signs of the worker protests outside the state banks that erupted last Sunday and prompted the central bank to shut down state and private banks for the rest of the week.