Coronavirus: Egypt bans entry of Qatar citizens in ‘reciprocal’ measure

Egypt has banned Qataris from entering the country after Qatar banned Egyptian citizens from entering the Gulf state.

This ban extends to Qataris who have valid residency permits in Egypt.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar in 2017 accusing the Gulf country of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.

Despite citizens from across the Gulf being recalled after the rift, Egyptians remained in Qatar.

Cabinet spokesperson Nader Saad has said the government’s recent decision to ban Qataris in response to the coronavirus outbreak was “in accordance with the principle of reciprocity”.

Egypt has been criticised for its response to the coronavirus with one doctor calling it chaotic and lacking transparency.

Egyptian sources told the London-based publication Egypt Watch that they estimate there to be more than 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Egypt, contrary to official figures which put the number at two.

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According to Egypt Watch, patients who tested positive were being kept in military hospitals, which are not subject to the direct supervision of the Ministry of Health, sparking fears that cases would not necessarily be recorded.

Observers began asking questions after people who had been in Egypt and then returned to their home countries, including Canada, France and Taiwan, were found to have contracted the virus.

On Sunday Qatar banned visitors from Egypt amid fears that the virus was spreading.

At the end of February Qatar confirmed its first case of coronavirus, a 36-year-old Qatari national who had recently returned from Iran. It now has eight confirmed cases.

There are now over 95,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide and over 3,000 people have died.

Over 53,000 people have recovered from the virus, also known as COVID-19.