Egypt cancels New Year celebrations due to COVID-19.

[DJKeefy]

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has cancelled the New Year celebrations in line with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s mandates to prevent large gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Abdel Fattah Al-Assi, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for monitoring tourism facilities, said that the decision will be circulated to all hotel establishments.

He also emphasised on the implementation of the state-imposed precautionary measures in all tourist establishments, adding that punitive actions will be taken against restaurants, cafes, and hotels that will not adhere to these measures.

The Ministry also renewed its warning to the Chamber of Tourism Establishments to adhere to the working hours set by the Cabinet for tourist restaurants and cafes.

The Ministry added that discos and nightclubs will continue to be closed until further notice. Moreover, weddings, parties, events, or gatherings in closed places will also remain banned until further notice.

Source: https://dailynewsegypt.com/2020/12/19/e ... -covid-19/

[newcastle]

I don’t think it’s the “tourists” who are the problem. They are mostly cooped up in hotels - with very low occupancy - with some semblance of social distancing, masks etc being observed.

It’s the locals, with their Friday prayers, mass weddings and general disregard for precautions that are spreading the virus.

[newcastle]

Fearing the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic which has begun in Europe and amid low a turnout of tourists, hotels at the Red Sea this year have cancelled all Christmas celebrations.

Workers at the area say that tourism is hitting its lowest point, with hotels under great pressure despite this time of year typically being a boon for them.

A hotel director at the Sahl Hasheesh area in the Red Sea said that hotel administration canceled the marquee held annually for Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, since the occupancy rate did not exceed 15 percent.

Decorations and lights will still be installed at the entrance of the hotel, and guests will be handed gifts, but he said nothing more fancy can be done.

Tourism at the Red Sea is at its worst, said the director of a major tourist group in Hurghada Sayed al-Gabry, with occupancy having significantly fallen and no benefit to be gained.

Hotels and tourist villages in Hurghada have witnessed a significant decline in occupancy rates, ranging between 15 and 20 percent, after some foreign tourism and aviation companies announced halt to flights due to surge in corona in Europe.

Many tourist facilities haves resorted to partial closure to save expenses, and a large number of workers were granted paid leave from their annual leave balance.

Other tourist villages offered discounts to attract domestic tourism.

The ministries of health and tourism and Antiquities, alongside the Egyptian Hotel Association stressed that precautionary measures must continue to be followed, including observing the maximum occupancy rate of 50 percent for each hotel.

Egypt’s tourism sector, accounting for approximately 12 percent of the country’s economy, has experienced significant decline in recent months due to the coronavirus outbreak.

After a months-long hiatus beginning in March intended to curb the spread of the virus, Egypt resumed flights and tourism on July 1, adding strict precautionary measures to tourist sites and facilities.

Since reopening, the country has reported an uptick in tourism, but levels remain nowhere near their average numbers for the year.

Lockdowns in countries such as the UK and Greece have further contributed to the slump, as Egypt receives thousands of tourists from these countries each year.

Beginning September 1, all local and foreign passengers entering Egypt are required to provide authorities with a negative PCR test for the virus within 72 hours of arrival.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

https://egyptindependent.com/red-sea-ho ... w-turnout/

[crewmeal]

How long before Egypt follows many other countries in banning flights from the UK?

I've just had an email from my agent sorting out dates for August next year and wanting a further deposit. Apparently Egyptair are desperate for bookings.

[newcastle]

How long before Egypt follows many other countries in banning flights from the UK?

I've just had an email from my agent sorting out dates for August next year and wanting a further deposit. Apparently Egyptair are desperate for bookings.

Can’t see it happening (famous last words).

a) tourism is too important

b) all visitors either come with PCR test clearance or are tested on arrival

[newcastle]

Egypt’s Health and Population Ministry’s Scientific Committee to Combat COVID-19 has estimated that the real figures for coronavirus infections in the country are 10 times higher than the official figures.

https://bit.ly/3aqg4qK?fbclid=IwAR03ekJ ... zAdUpbigAU

Talk about announcing the bleedin’ obvious

Still....a bit of transparency is welcome.

[carrie]

Does the new strain mean that the vaccine wont work for those catching the variant?

[HEPZIBAH]

Does the new strain mean that the vaccine wont work for those catching the variant?

As I understand it...
I think the real answer to that is anyones guess. Time will tell.
It is a well known fact that corona virues mutate, which is why the flu vaccine is tweaked every year. Presumably the scientists that both created and approved this vaccine are still looking at ways to improve it or tweak it to keep up with the actual virus.

[newcastle]

RNA viruses, like the flu and measles, are more prone to changes and mutations compared with DNA viruses, such as herpes, smallpox, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

In the world of RNA viruses, change is the norm. We expect RNA viruses to change frequently. That’s just their nature.

SARS-CoV-2 is no exception, and over the past few months it has been mutating.

But the virus has mutated at a very slow pace. And when it does mutate, the new copies aren’t far off from the original virus.

It’s still unclear whether the mutation causes a more severe illness or increases the risk of death.

It’s also unclear whether the new mutation infects and sickens people differently. At this time, the illness and hospitalization rates caused by the new variation seems to be similar.

More data is needed to understand the implications of the new mutations, like whether reinfections after recovery are possible, and whether the changes could affect the vaccines and treatments in development.

[newcastle]

RNA viruses, like the flu and measles, are more prone to changes and mutations compared with DNA viruses, such as herpes, smallpox, and human papillomavirus (HPV).

In the world of RNA viruses, change is the norm. We expect RNA viruses to change frequently. That’s just their nature.

COVID-19 is no exception, and over the past few months it has been mutating.

But the virus has mutated at a very slow pace. And when it does mutate, the new copies aren’t far off from the original virus.

It’s still unclear whether the mutation causes a more severe illness or increases the risk of death.

It’s also unclear whether the new mutation infects and sickens people differently. At this time, the illness and hospitalization rates caused by the new variation seems to be similar.

More data is needed to understand the implications of the new mutations, like whether reinfections after recovery are possible, and whether the changes could affect the vaccines and treatments in development.

In the meantime, conspiracies, fear and panic are probably more of a problem