Egypt Thursday said foreign tourists can return to main seaside resorts from July 1 as the North African country tries to relaunch the sector significantly affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
International flights will resume to southern Sinai, where the resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are located, Red Sea province, home to the Hurghada and Marsa Alam resorts, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.
Egypt shut down its airports for regular flights in March as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the respiratory disease. It also closed down restaurants, major markets, cafes, mosques and schools. Egypt was the first country to report the first case in Africa, in February.
The resumption of the flights to resorts is part of government’s moves to re-activate the tourism industry, which accounts for 5 per cent of the GDP.
Last month, the cabinet allowed hotels to re-open to domestic tourists at reduced capacity if they met health protocols.
New easing measures including reducing the night curfew by an hour and shopping hours extended for one hour are expected in coming two weeks.
Egypt has so far recorded 39,726 confirmed coronavirus cases including 1,377 deaths. Recoveries stand at 10,691.
