Egypt reopens airports, museums

Egypt has reopened its airports, the Egyptian museum, and the famed Giza Pyramids in Cairo, for the first time in more than three months since the coronavirus closure.

The national carrier, EgyptAir, said around 2,000 passengers left Cairo’s international airport on 14 international flights on Wednesday.

Two flights carrying over 350 Ukrainian tourists landed in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada and the major resort and beach destination of Sharm el-sheik in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said around two dozen museums and tourist sites also received visitors with preventive measures in place against the coronavirus.

They include the Egyptian Museum, the Giza Pyramids, and the Citadel of Saladin in Cairo, along with the ancient temple of Karnak and the famous Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut in the southern city of Luxor.

The government wants to revive the tourism sector, which showed signs of recovery before the pandemic after years of instability.