CAIRO: The U.S. State Department announced on its website today that the Embassy in Cairo has resumed normal operations and the travel warning issued to American citizens on March 29 has been amended. The announcement on the State Department's website says: “Given that Egyptian security services have not yet fully redeployed, the Department alerts U.S. citizens planning to travel to Egypt to the possibility of sporadic unrest. The security situation in Luxor, Aswan, and the Red Sea Resorts, including Sharm el Sheikh, continues to be calm. This Travel Alert replaces the Travel Warning dated March 29, 2011.” The State Department also utilized their website to inform American citizens who are planning to travel to Egypt, or who are already in Egypt, that until Egyptian civilian police have been fully redeployed, there could be delays in emergency requests for assistance or reports of crime. The Government of Egypt continues to enforce a curfew between the hours of 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM and U.S. citizens are encouraged to respect the curfew and remain indoors. All airports in Egypt have returned to normal functions and commercial airlines at Cairo Airport report that flight availability is ample and schedules remain on-time. This news comes as a relief to the Egyptian travel and tourism companies who have seen an enormous drop in business since the U.S. initially alerted Americans about traveling in Egypt. In addition to the lift on most travel bans, the State Department has announced that the U.S. Embassy in Cairo is open for all routine American Citizens' Services by appointment, but U.S. citizens who require emergency assistance do not require an appointment to be seen. For news and updates from the American Embassy in Cairo, visit their website at http://cairo.usembassy.gov. Other countries that have amended or lifted their travel warnings to Egypt include Sweden, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Belgium, Finland, France, Australia, Italy and Norway among others.
