Egypt said on Monday that 23 new hotels and resorts in South Sinai, Red Sea, Cairo, Alexandria and Fayoum have received the “Hygiene Safety” certificate required to reopen with reduced occupancy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total hotels now open nationwide to 155. According to a statement by the tourism ministry on Monday, Abdel Fatah El-Asy, Assistant of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Hotels and touristic establishments control said that the new certified hotels include four in South Sinai, five in the Red Sea, two in Cairo, two in Fayoum and eight in Alexandria and two in Aswan. The hotels received their certificates after fulfilling the regulations put in place by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and approved by the cabinet in accordance with the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Egypt allowed hotels that secure the new hygiene certificate to open for guests and day users at a reduced occupancy since last month, to revive the tourism sector, which has been hit heavily by pandemic. The occupancy rate was initially set at 25 percent of capacity, but this month was increased to 50 percent. Meanwhile, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the council has decided to exempt all cafeterias and bazaars in its museums and archaeological sites from paying rent for June, July and August until the regular return of tourism heavily hit by the pandemic crisis.
