Egypt has activated an operations room designated for nationals stranded abroad after a number of countries shut their borders as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriate Affairs stated on Monday. The ministry is calling on transit passengers on their way to Kuwait, whether in the UAE or elsewhere, to provide the ministry with their personal information so it can determine the number affected people and facilitate communication with them. Egyptians abroad can fill an online form for stranded nationals or go through the official Facebook page of the emigration ministry. Expats also can reach out to the ministry via email at [email protected], or through the designated 01062437210 or 0109613755 lines on WhatsApp. Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait have shut their land, sea and air borders for at least one week over fears of a new coronavirus strain. The flight suspensions were announced after the UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that a highly infectious new strain of the virus has been discovered, and that millions of Britons would have to cancel their Christmas plans and stay home. A number of countries, as a result, are banning flights from the UK, while others have halted all travel activities for one week. The Egyptian government had previously brought home thousands of citizens when international air traffic came to a halt in March due to the pandemic.
