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Ahram Online
Egypt reimposed a set of COVID-19 travel restrictions at airports, seaports and land crossings following a significant surge in Omicron infections.
“Starting 22 January, Egyptian and foreign travellers to Egypt, except children below the age of 12, will require certificates of COVID-19 vaccination or negative results of COVID-19 tests”, acting Minister of Health, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, said in a statement on Thursday.
COVID-19 tests must be taken 72 hours before arrival to the Egyptian ports.
“A vaccination certificate has to show that the traveller had received the single-dose vaccine or the last dose of the two-shot vaccines at least 14 days before arrival”, Abdel-Ghaffar noted.
Travelers must prove they received vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation or the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA).
The EDA has granted emergency approval for all the coronavirus vaccines of Sinopharm, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
Unvaccinated arrivals are required to present a negative COVID-19 test. Approved COVID-19 tests include the PCR test, Antigen Rapid Test and ID Now test.
“ID NOW COVID-19 tests will not be accepted for arrivals from South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Eswatini”, the Minister noted.
“Travelers whose Coronavirus tests or vaccine certificates do not conform to the established standards will have to take antigen rapid tests”, Head of the Preventive Medicine Department at the Ministry of Health, Amr Qandil, said on Thursday.
In case a traveller tests positive for COVID-19, they would have to self-quarantine at their hotel or residence for five days. On the sixth day, they would take a PCR test and will be allowed to end the quarantine if they test negative and show no symptoms of illness.
However, if the patient tests positive; then a quarantine will be required for another five days with the ability to end quarantine on the sixth day without testing.
On Thursday, Egypt reported 1,403 new infections, 22 deaths and 1,632 recoveries. The National infections tally has reached 405,393. Death toll standa at 22,260 and full patient recoveries at 339,259.
