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Egypt Reduces Mandatory Quarantine for Overseas Arrivals to Seven Days

May 19, 2020
An Egyptian arriving at a mandatory quarantine facility after returning to Egypt in early May 2020.

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise, with new daily records this week, the Egyptian Ministry of Health has taken the unusual step of reducing the quarantine period for overseas arrivals from 14 days to seven days. According to state media, as of Wednesday 20 May, the quarantine period for overseas arrivals will be reduced to seven days. Al-Ahram, citing a Health Ministry source, says the decision was taken to reduce overcrowding at quarantine facilities and to allow all Egyptians who return from abroad the opportunity to undergo mandatory quarantine. The reasoning implies that current quarantine facilities are not sufficient and comes weeks after a Health Ministry official said that Egypt’s quarantine hospitals are at maximum capacity. Overseas arrivals will be tested upon arrival and after spending seven days at quarantine facilities. If a person’s results after seven days are negative for COVID-19, they will be released and required to isolate themselves in their own homes. However, there’s no indication that self-isolation will be enforced by law or that police will conduct check-ins, and it remains unclear how this will be done for the thousands of Egyptians who…


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