Nancy El-Gendy, head of the Central Department of Laboratories at the Ministry of Health, said that issuing certificates for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests for travellers to Saudi Arabia is set to start on Sunday. According to the Arabic edition of Ahram News website, El-Gendy added that the PCR certificates will be issued from the central department at the Health Ministry's headquarters, in downtown Cairo. Earlier, Saudi Arabia decided that people wishing to travel to the kingdom using a new visa or a pre-existing valid visa are required to present a PCR lab test certificate proving they are coronavirus-free. Saudi Arabia reopened on Saturday the area around the sacred Kaaba in Mecca's Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest site, reversing one of a series of measures introduced to combat the coronavirus outbreak. Last week, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round umrah pilgrimage and announced the temporary closure of the area around the Kaaba . El-Gendy noted that the cost of the PCR test is EGP 1,000 for Egyptians, and $70 for non-Egyptians, adding that everyone has to present the passport and travel ticket to undergo the test.
