Egypt saves life of Italian tourist denied entry to other countries for fears of COVID-19 infection

CAIRO 11 April 2020: Egypt’s Red Sea authorities allowed an Italian cruise ship carrying about 2,000 tourists to enter Hurghada port to save the life of an Italian tourist suffering from kidney failure, Egyptian newspaper Sada al-Balad on Saturday.

Only the tourist and his wife were disembarked from the ship, which was inbound from Oman to Italy.

Before being admitted to the Red Sea hospital, the tourist had been tested negative for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), source at the port told the newspaper, noting that other several ports refused to receive the cruise as they feared that the tourist could be infected with the virus.

Early April, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi made a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, expressing his sincere condolences for the loss of the Italian victims of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), said Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi in a statement.

Late March, 2020, the Italian consulate in Upper Egypt expressed gratitude to the medical staff in Esna Quarantine Hospital for retreating 10 elderly Italian COVID-19 patients, Al-Masry Al-Youm7 reported.

On March 3, 2020, Egypt’s Armed Forces in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Health sent Italy medical aid.