Foreigners staying in Cairo without residency permits to not allowed in resort towns

Foreigners who are staying in Cairo but do not hold residency permits will not be allowed to travel from the capital to three of Egypt’s major coastal provinces, which is part of measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, EgyptAir said on Wednesday.

Last month, Egypt reopened its main seaside resort provinces to international flights and foreign tourists.

As part of the first stage of the reopening, foreign tourists are now allowed to fly into three areas; South Sinai, where the popular seaside resort of Sharm El-Sheikh is located, the Red Sea governorate, home to the city of Hurghada, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean

The state-owned carrier EgyptAir said that passengers flying from any city worldwide to these cities will be allowed entry only if they go through a transit period at Cairo airport that does not exceed six hours.

Egypt resumed regular international flights to and from the country on 1 July after a three-month closure due to the pandemic. Foreign tourists are only allowed to visit the three coastal governorates which have recorded the lowest numbers of coronavirus cases in the country.

More cities are planned to reopen for foreign visitors in later stages.

Travelers must sign at departure airports that they are free of the virus prior to boarding their planes, while those coming from countries with high rates of coronavirus are required to submit test results to prove they are virus-free before travelling.

Egypt’s daily tally of new coronavirus infections and daily death toll have both continued to decline in recent weeks despite the recent lifting of lockdown measures in the country.

The country recorded 112 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total infection tally to 94,752 and the death toll to 4,912.

The figure is in stark contrast to an average of 1,400 daily cases recorded in early July and through June.