Egypt to introduce rapid Covid-19 tests for visitors to combat new virus strains

The health ministry has not yet specified which countries the new rules apply to

People walk in the street as shops and stalls are closed at Attaba market in Cairo, Egypt, 06 May 2021. EPA

Egypt will require visitors from countries where “variants of concern” of the coronavirus have appeared to take a quick Covid-19 test called ID NOW on arrival, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

The statement did not say which countries the new measures would apply to, only that visitors from those destinations would be obliged to take the 15-minute DNA-based test.

But there have been calls on the government from influential media figures to suspend flights from India, where new variants of the virus have caused a rapid surge in infections and deaths.

The statement did not say whether travellers to Egypt will be charged for the test on arrival.

Travellers from other countries will only be required to show the negative result of a PCR test administered no earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival.

Egypt is the most populous Arab country with more than 100 million people, and has been gripped by a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Faced with a rise in infections, authorities on Thursday introduced a set of measures to contain the spread of the virus, including the closure at 9pm of restaurants, cafes, malls, gyms and sports clubs. The measures would remain in force until May 21.

Public beaches and parks will also be closed during the upcoming three-day Muslim festival of Eid Al Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, when devout Muslims refrain from food and drink from dawn to dusk. The first day of Eid Al Fitr falls on Thursday.

The latest Health Ministry figures released on Friday night show 1,125 new cases of Covid-19 and 65 deaths over the previous 24 hours. The total number of cases since the pandemic began 15 months ago was 235,140 on Friday while fatalities stood at 13,779, according to the ministry.

While seen as a reliable indicator of the curve of the pandemic, the Health Ministry figures are widely believed to be only a fraction of the actual numbers because of limited testing.

Thousands more people are thought to have contracted the virus or succumbed to it outside the state health care sector.