About 57,000 Egyptian expatriates stranded abroad have been repatriated on 315 flights since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to Minister of Civil Aviation Mohamed Manar Enaba. During a press conference on Tuesday, Enaba said that Egypt will resume commercial flights at all airports nationwide as of 1 July. Enaba asserted that all aircraft have been sterilised, noting that only dry meals and canned drinks will be provided to passengers on board. He also said that passengers will have to sign a declaration on departure, while travellers arriving from countries with high infection rates will be required to undergo tests for the virus. He added that special seats will be reserved for passengers with chronic illness, while passengers showing symptoms during the flight will be isolated in the last lines of seats on planes. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Egypt has been keen to repatriate its citizens stranded abroad, due to the suspension of international flights. All Egyptian returnees have been required to undergo a quarantine period, initially for 14 days, either at quarantine hotels or university dorms. However, earlier in May, the quarantine department at Cairo International Airport, affiliated with the Ministry of Health, reduced the mandatory quarantine period at government isolation units to seven days. Currently, returnees are responsible for isolating themselves at their own residence.
