Egypt is expected to cancel the current seven-day quarantine period for Egyptians arriving from abroad, chairman of the state-owned EgyptAir Holding Company Roshdi Zakaria said on Monday. Upon their arrival, returnees will undergo a coronavirus rapid test at the airport, and those who show no symptoms will spend a quarantine period at home, Zakaria explained in a phone call with CBC Extra TV channel. Those who show coronavirus symptoms, however, will be transferred to isolation hospitals, he added. In May, Egypt shortened a mandatory quarantine period for Egyptians arriving from abroad from 14 days to one week. Returnees who test negative by the end of the period were allowed to spend the rest of their quarantine at home. The government is covering the quarantine cost of those staying at university hostels. Those willing to spend their quarantine period at designated hotels in the Mediterranean city of Marsa Alam will have to pay for their stay. Meanwhile, Egypt's civil aviation ministry will operate additional special flights in the upcoming two weeks to repatriate Egyptians stranded abroad. The flights will fly to eight destinations including Beirut, Oman, Muscat, Dubai, Jeddah, Riyadh, Baghdad and Sydney. Egypt is mainly keeping its airspace open to cargo and domestic flights during the flight suspension, which has been in place since mid-March. Egypt is just operating flights to repatriate its citizens from abroad and has returned home at least 12,000 Egyptians so far. The country has signaled a “gradual resumption” of international flights in the second half of June or the first half of July, according to statements by Cabinet spokesman Nader Saad earlier this week.
