Egypt reopening borders for Tourism from 1st of July

Egypt has announced it will reopen its borders for tourism to seaside resorts starting on July 1st. The areas opening up are 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, the statement said. The cabinet has indicated international flights will be allowed to enter the country from July 1, while foreign tourists will be permitted at the resorts least affected by Covid-19. Egypt also announced the relaxation of some restrictions during the next two weeks, including reducing the night curfew by an hour. Shop hours will be extended by an hour. The government suspended passenger flights back in March, while all hotels, restaurants and cafes were closed and a night curfew imposed. These measures are currently being relaxed, with hotels that meet certain requirements, such as having a clinic with a resident doctor on site, being granted permission to reopen for domestic visitors at a reduced capacity. Resort beaches will also be reopened for tourists in July but public beaches are stil under consideration, State Information Minister Osama Heikal explained during a televised briefing. “We have to prepare,” cabinet spokesman Nader Saad said during a televised interview last month. “A number of global carriers have expressed willingness to resume flights to Egypt in July, and as a result we are considering a gradual resumption of international flights beginning towards the end of this month and in the first half of July.” Tourism brings in around $1 billion in revenue for Egypt each month, so the impact of the border closures caused by the pandemic has been significant. The pandemic has shut down Egypt’s tourist sector, which the government says accounts for 5% of GDP. Analysts say the figure may be as high as 15% if indirect jobs and spending and investment are included. Egypt, a country of around 100 million people, has reported 38,284 coronavirus cases as of Wednesday, including 1,342 deaths. New daily cases have stayed above 1,000 over the past two weeks.