Marsa Alam airport receives 298 stranded Egyptians from Washington

CAIRO - 10 May 2020: Marsa Alam airport on Sunday received a plane coming from Washington with 298 Egyptian nationals on board.This comes within the framework of the state's plan to repatriate Egyptians stuck abroad because of the coronavirus pandemic.

An official source in Marsa Alam airport said that a health ministry's team carried out coronavirus tests for all passengers and crew members and sent samples to laboratories to see if they are free of the virus.

All the passengers would undergo the necessary preventive procedures, including being tested for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and being quarantined for two weeks once they arrive at the airport, the source noted.

Since the coronavirus crisis started, EgyptAir, the Egyptian flag carrier, has operated many exceptional flights to several countries, including the US, UK, Maldives, Kuwait, South Sudan and Kenya, to bring back stranded Egyptians abroad.

On April 22nd, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi noted that around 3,500 Egyptians are stranded abroad over coronavirus, affirming that authorities are committed to bringing them back despite "hard circumstances".