Egyptian health min. inspects quarantine departments in Luxor airport, says visitors must take PCR test

CAIRO – 30 August 2020: Egypt’s Health Minister Hala Zayed on Sunday affirmed that people willing to visit Egypt from abroad must show negative PCR results before they can enter the country, as Egypt has seen a low number of coronavirus cases compared to June.

Egypt recorded, Saturday, 212 new coronavirus cases, upping the total number of confirmed cases to 98,497.

Arriving at Upper Egypt’s Luxor International Airport, Zayed has checked on quarantine departments in the airport as part of the state’s precautionary measures to combat the novel virus, spokesman Khaled Megahed said.

Zayed also inspected the preventive measures taken by the medical staff at these departments, hailing the efforts of medical teams concerning quarantine in all ports as well as airports.

Zayed’s tour in the southern governorate aimed at checking the final preparations for the experimental operation of the new health insurance system.

 

Luxor is one of the governorates included in the first phase of the comprehensive health insurance initiative, along with Ismailia and Suez in northern Egypt, South Sinai in the east of the country and Aswan in the southern part of the country.

The comprehensive health insurance law in Egypt sets the rules for implementing the universal health insurance system, and seeks to accelerate the application of universal health coverage in a manner consistent with the health pillar contained in the "Sustainable Development Strategy - Egypt 2030".

In June, Minister of International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat, has announced the approval of the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors to provide Egypt with $400 million.

Mashat said in a statement that this is part of the emergency response project to address the coronavirus pandemic and support the Egyptian government’s efforts to implement the universal health insurance system, generalizing it in the governorates.

The minister added that the agreement reflects the Egyptian government's approach to provide health care services to all citizens, which is a national priority for the government, as the comprehensive health insurance project implemented in cooperation with the World Bank includes mandatory coverage for citizens.