CAIRO - 27 April 2020: Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafy issued a decision on Saturday to resume tourist cruises and boats in all cities in the governorate while taking all preventive and precautionary measures to limit the spread of coronavirus through continuous disinfection and sterilization.
In a statement, Hanafy clarified that the decision includes taxi and excursion boats, according to Ahram Online.
"The suspension of all other activities – diving, snorkeling, kiting, windsurfing, and submarines – continue until further notice," said the governor.
Hanafy also stressed that any boat that hosts crowds or exchanges passengers out on the water will have its licence revoked.
Since 12 April, no boats have been allowed to operate except for fishing boats, which has greatly limited the spread of the coronavirus in the governorate, according to the statement.
The governor had also issued a pre-emptive decision on 12 April to suspend tourist boats before the Sham El-Nessim holiday on 20 April, as these cruises usually host crowds on Sham El-Nessim.
In an attempt to prevent public gatherings on Sham El-Nessim, the government suspended all public transport, including buses, railways, the Cairo metro, and Nile transport, in addition to regional coach services between different parts of the country and to beach resorts.
All shops, malls, beaches, and public parks and gardens were also completely closed on Sham El-Nessim.
On Saturday, Egypt's health ministry reported 227 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the country’s total number of confirmed cases to 4,319.
Mon, Apr. 27, 2020
