1st tourist group coming from Hurghada visit Karnak Temple Complex on Sept. 1

CAIRO – 1 September 2020: On September 1, the Karnak Temples received the first tourist group coming from Hurghada, on the first day of Egypt's resumption of the cultural tourism movement, after being suspended since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa Waziri said that these groups include tourists from Ukraine and France, who arrived in Hurghada on Aug. 31 to spend their vacation on the picturesque beaches of Egypt.

The tourists then went on a trip to Luxor to see its great monuments and learn about the ancient Egyptian civilization.

Waziri stressed that all museums and archaeological sites are committed to implementing the health safety controls and precautionary measures issued by the ministry to reopen museums and archaeological sites.

The controls for resuming cultural tourism include operating all cultural tourism activities at a maximum operating rate of 50 percent of the venues' capacity, providing hand sanitizers, conducting continuous cleaning and sterilization and maintaining good ventilation before and after each trip inside all means of tourist transport.

Also, all tour guides must commit to wearing a mask in museums and archaeological sites, tourism companies must provide masks for tourists, accompanying tour guides and drivers. Temperature of workers (and visitors before visiting in museums and indoor places) are set to be measures regularly, and safe distances between people should be maintained.