Around 300 Egyptians stranded in Washington arrive in Marsa Alam

Around 300 Egyptians arrived in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Marsa Alam from Washington on Sunday, as part of the country’s plan to bring back home nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus.

The EgyptAir flight arrived in the Marsa Alam International Airport at around 8 am, Ahram Online reported.

Several sterilised tour buses transported the returnees from the airport to designated hotels in the coastal city where they will be put into 14-day quarantine.

Egypt’s flagship carrier EgyptAir will operate two planes on Sunday to repatriate 420 Egyptians stranded in the UK and Kuwait, according to local media reports.

Marsa Alam will receive the first flight from London with 120 passengers onboard while Cairo international airport will receive the other with 300 passengers onboard from Kuwait.

Egypt is working to repatriate thousands of Egyptians without valid residencies in Kuwait, which Immigration Minister Nabila Makram estimated at 5,300.

Egypt has closed all its airports to international flights since mid-March as part of drastic measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The country has since operated exceptional flights to bring Egyptians stranded abroad back home and allow foreign tourists to return to their country.

Egypt has since kept its airspace open to inbound charter and to cargo and domestic flights.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has vowed to repatriate an estimated 3,500 Egyptians stranded overseas “at the earliest opportunity.”

“I assure all Egyptians [stranded abroad] who are listening to me, even if our circumstances are difficult, we will not leave you,” he said in televised remarks last month.

Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly said last week that authorities are hoping to repatriate all nationals stuck abroad before the religious Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, which is set to begin on 23 May.