Since July 2020, some 1.3 million Ukrainian tourists have visited Egypt, among them about 30 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease have been recorded during this period, Vice Minister for Tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt Ghada Shalaby told reporters on Wednesday.
According to her, during the specified period, among Ukrainian tourists vacationing in Egypt, one or two deaths from COVID-19 were recorded.
Shalaby said that currently, in the main resort regions of Egypt – Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada, 400 beds have been prepared for tourists in hospitals, where they can be hospitalized in case of a severe course of COVID-19.
In these clinics, 120 lung ventilators are installed, to which patients can be connected if necessary.
According to Shalaby, if a foreign tourist needs to be hospitalized with COVID-19 in other regions, in particular in Cairo, local clinics are used, in which there is no shortage of places for tourists.
There are always places in clinics if necessary, she said.
Shalaby said that the treatment of tourists from COVID-19 is covered by insurance that tourists purchase.
Commenting on the issues of vaccination against COVID-19, Shalaby said that Egypt recognizes all vaccines registered in the world, including the Russian Sputnik-V vaccine and documents confirming the completion of the full vaccination course.
She did not rule out that over time, Egypt will be able to offer tourists the opportunity to vaccinate against COVID-19 on commercial terms.
Shalaby said that Egypt’s tourism workers are currently being actively vaccinated.
She said that those workers in the tourism industry who have not yet been vaccinated are transferred to those areas of work where there is no direct contact with tourists. Only vaccinated people work with tourists.
Shalaby said the authorities have now increased the allowed hotel occupancy rate from 50% to 70%. At the same time, she predicts that this figure is unlikely to be increased in the near future.
It is unlikely that 100% hotel occupancy will be accommodated, Shalaby said.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived on a two-day working visit to Germany.
According to the presidential press service, Zelensky will hold a number of meetings, in particular with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
A meeting is also planned with Head of the Christian Democratic Union, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet.
Prime Minister of Slovakia Eduard Heger will visit Ukraine at the end of this month, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said following a meeting with the head of the Slovak government.
“Pleased to meet with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger to discuss trade, investments, energy and infrastructure cooperation. Ukraine and Slovakia remain reliable partners and friends. Looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister in Ukraine in two weeks,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Some 116,000 foreign tourists visited the Ukrainian capital in the first quarter of 2021, Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration Maryna Khonda has said.
“Despite all the obstacles caused by the pandemic, foreign tourists still visit Kyiv. This year, most tourists, according to the State Border Guard Service, came to the Ukrainian capital from Belarus – 10,500 people. Also 8,900 people came from Israel and 8,300 from Turkey,” the press service of Kyiv City State Administration said, citing Khonda on Wednesday.
The official also said that the list of countries, where more tourists came from, included the United States, India, Germany, Great Britain, France and Georgia.
In addition to foreigners, according to preliminary estimates, the capital was visited by about 300,000 domestic tourists, and the tourist tax at the beginning of May amounted to UAH 11.670 million.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani during a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday expressed North Macedonia’s solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russian escalation.
According to the MFA website, the head of the North Macedonian Foreign Ministry confirmed strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders, including Crimea as an integral part of Ukrainian territory.
Bujar Osmani confirmed his readiness to visit Ukraine in the second half of 2021 at the invitation of Kuleba.
The interlocutors also paid attention to the preparation of celebrations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
President of the European Council Charles Michel started his visit to Ukraine on Tuesday morning, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Matti Maasikas said.
“The President of the European Council has landed in Kharkiv. Two days in Ukraine: visiting the line of contact, honouring the memory of the victims of Maidan, seeing EU COVID-assistance in practice, discussions with [Volodymyr] Zelensky on reforms and association, participation in Ukraine 30 forum on judicial reform,” Maasikas said on Twitter on Tuesday.
