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EL CAIRO: Egypt restarted foreign flights and reopened major tourist attractions, the Great Pyramids of Giza, on Wednesday (July 1) after more than 3 months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The country closed its airports to scheduled foreign flights and closed known historic sites in mid-March when the government tried to curb the virus.
This has led to the tourism industry, which, according to the government, accounts for 5% of economic output but which analysts say can account for up to 15% if industry-related jobs and investment practically stop.
Few visitors to Giza on the first day said Witnesses to Reuters, adding that they had only seen a handful of other people on the crowded site.
“It’s a great place, this is where you see the symbol of Egypt and that’s why we come here,” said tourist Ravalonandrasana Maurice.
Meanwhile, 16 flights took off from Cairo International Airport on Wednesday, the Aviation Minister said. Two arrival terminals were empty in the morning, one screen showing 4 scheduled flights from Toulouse, Kuwait, Tunisia and Amman.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled al-Anany, said two chartered flights arrived Wednesday morning at southern Sinai and Red Sea airports with Ukrainian tourists.
These provinces along the Red Sea Coast as well as Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean were allowed to reopen as they had the lowest case numbers so far.
The Ministry of Health recorded 68,311 coronaviruses and 2,953 deaths.
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