COVID-19 test to be required from some foreign visitors to enter Egypt: Cabinet

CAIRO – 7 August 2020: Egypt’s decision to ban entry of visitors to Egypt unless they show a proof of a negative PCR test does not include Egyptians or foreigners arriving at some airports, the Government spokesman and the Civil Aviation Ministry said, as coronavirus cases in the northeastern African country have kept on declining.

As per the decision, tourists included have to test negative for coronavirus 72 hours at most before entering the country.

The decision, which is set to come into effect on August 15, will also exempt Arab and foreign tourists coming by direct flights to the airports of South Sinai’s Sharm El Sheikh and Taba, and Red Sea’s Hurghada and Marsa Alam, as well as Matrouh in northern Egypt.

The health situation in Egypt became under control, Cabinet Spokesman Nader Saad said, calling on foreigners arriving at an airport other than the three aforementioned ones to take the PCR test.

Egypt on July 1 has officially resumed flights after three-month suspension due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

Late in June, Tourism Minister Khaled Al-Enani on his Instagram account said Egypt is prepared to welcome tourists back in the governorates of South Sinai, the Red Sea and Matrouh starting July, adding that authorities decided to resume international flights to some cities amid the coronavirus crisis.

“With its beautiful sandy beaches, its warm sun and crystal blue waters, Egypt is ready to welcome tourists back” in the three governorates, Enani said.

Egypt recorded, Thursday, 131 new coronavirus cases, upping the total number of confirmed cases to 95,006.

In a statement, Spokesman for the Health Ministry Khaled Megahed said 21 patients have died from the virus over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 4,951.

As many as 1,716 patients were discharged from isolation hospitals after receiving necessary medical care, taking the number of recovered cases to 48,898 so far, the spokesman said.

Statistics for the Ministry of Health and Population revealed, Monday that the recovery rates for people infected with coronavirus in quarantine hospitals have risen to 44.9 percent for the first time since the beginning of the crisis.