Egypt set to reopen airports on July 1

Egypt will reopen its airports on July 1 and begin welcoming to beach resorts tourists kept away by the coronavirus pandemic, the government announced on Sunday.

Flights will resume “between Egypt and countries which have reopened their airspace”, said Aviation Minister Mohamed Manar during a news conference in Cairo.

“We hope that business will resume,” he said.

Egypt has since March halted air traffic and shuttered archaeological sites, museums and hotels to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

But with international flights resuming, only three governorates famed for their beach resorts will be allowed to welcome tourists: the Red Sea, South Sinai and Marsa Matruh.

“We chose these three governorates because they are coastal, far from the main centres, and have reported the lowest numbers of virus infections,” said Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled al-Anani during the briefing.

The government has also decided “to waive tourist visas from July 1 until October 31,” he added.

Other tourist sites including the pyramids at Giza, the Egyptian museum in Cairo and Luxor’s Karnak temple will reopen progressively, Anani said.

“We are not in a hurry. We want to ensure everyone’s health and our reputation as a tourist destination,” he added.

Over 200 hotels have received permission to reopen to tourists after implementing strict sanitary measures, including spacing out restaurant tables and restricting elevator capacities.

Any establishment breaching health regulations will have this authorisation revoked, the minister said, adding that the government would offer “no leniency in this area”.

Egypt’s health ministry has so far registered around 43,000 COVID-19 cases in its population of over 100 million, including close to 1,500 fatalities.

In late May, Egypt’s top medical union warned of a potential “complete collapse” of the country’s health system in the face of the pandemic.

Liberia to reopen international flights on June 21

Liberia has made remarkable progress in containing the spread of coronavirus. This was made known by the government who said that its international airport and hotels will reopen on June 21.

The President of Liberia, George Weah said in a statement that a state of emergency that was declared in April and due to expire on June 21 would not be renewed.

According to the statement, restrictions such as a night-time curfew would remain in place, though it would start later.

As with other poor countries in the region, there were fears that the West African nation of some 4.8 million people would not have been able to handle a large outbreak.

The country was badly hit during the 2014-16 Ebola crisis, which killed more than 4,800 people in the country. However, it has so far recorded only 334 coronavirus cases and 30 deaths from coronavirus.

Footballer-turned-president Weah said the strides made in Liberia along with “developments in other countries” meant there was no need to extend emergency legislation.

Flight reopening : Expert request hourly disinfection of airports

As stakeholders prepare for the reopening of the nation’s airspace that has been shut down to commercial flights since March, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has been asked to prepare for hourly disinfection of airports when flights resume.

A stakeholder and former Managing Director of the defunct Virgin Nigeria Airways, Capt. Dapo Olumide said the airports need to be disinfected every hour once they are reopened for flights.

Aviation authorities have begun preparations for the reopening of the airspace.

Barring any last minute change, domestic flights operations may resume across the country by the first or second week of June after two months’ shutdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has already held series of meetings with airline operators as well as service providers including Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and other stakeholders to work out modalities for safe and secure resumption of flights.

Our correspondent learnt that a comprehensive guideline has been developed for seamless reopening of airspace starting with domestic operations.

It was gathered that the NCAA had already issued an advisory circular to all the operating airlines to draw up their post COVID-19 operation manual. An airline operator said, 

“All things being equal, June is feasible for the resumption of flights. The NCAA has already issued us an advisory circular stipulating what they expect from us, what each airline must put in place before we can start operations.”

But speaking at an Aviation webinar yesterday, Olumide said constant disinfection of the airports is imperative to protect the passengers and airport workers and prevent the spread of the COVID-19.

Olumide noted that with the COVID-19 experience, it would get to a time when airport certification around the world would incorporate the preparedness for disease outbreaks.

According to him, the United State Category One certification is basically about safety but it will get to a point where such certification would include the health procedures at the airport.

Rep to FG - "Open airports"

A member of the House of Representatives, Akinola Alabi, has urged the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to open the country’s airports.

Alabi, who represents Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency, also pushed for interstate travel to be allowed in the next phase of the easing of lockdown.

“Next phase of easing lockdown. Allow interstate travel. Then open the airports and introduce some safety measures,” he tweeted.

The country’s airports and airspace were shut in March by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), as part of efforts to contain COVID-19.

Commercial flight operations, both local and international, had stopped forthwith but the President’s directive allowed the operation of essential flights including those for medical and evacuation purposes, amongst others, which are subject to the authorisation of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and agencies under it.

On May 6, the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, announced that the closure of the country’s airports and airspace were further extended by four weeks after due consultations with experts.