12 Cases of Coronavirus Detected Boarding Nile Cruise

Egypt’s Ministry of Health just has issued a statement says that twelve persons boarding a Nile cruise were infected with the Coronavirus.

The infected people boarding that cruise bound to Luxor, some 800 km south of Cairo.

Egypt on Monday reported its second case of a novel coronavirus, more than two weeks after announcing the first confirmed infection in Africa.

The foreigner is showing "minor symptoms" and has been quarantined, the ministry and the World Health Organization said in a joint statement.

"Other people who had contact with the patient are undergoing medical tests," it added.

Egypt announced its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus on February 14.

"The patient, a Chinese national, was released last week after recovering," the statement said.

Cairo has been cooperating with French and Canadian authorities after they both announced seven confirmed cases of the virus from travelers coming from Egypt.

With the number of cases arising in the Gulf, Qatar imposed a temporary ban on visitors coming from Egypt via transit points on Sunday citing the spread of COVID-19.

Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed traveled to China on Sunday.

At a news conference at Cairo airport, Zayed praised Beijing's efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

That same evening, Egypt projected the Chinese flag in solidarity with Beijing on some of its most historical monuments.

The Salah al-Din Citadel in Cairo and ancient temples of Karnak and Philae Island in Aswan in the south were being lit up in the color red along with the golden stars of China's national flag.

The global death toll from the epidemic surpassed 3,000 after dozens more were killed in China and cases soared around the world with a second fatality on US soil.

The COVID-19 coronavirus spread to Africa on Friday with health officials in Egypt confirming the first recorded case.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health said the patient was a foreign national who had not shown any symptoms but had been identified based on travel patterns.

Khaled Megahed, a spokesman for the ministry, said laboratory tests had been conducted, the patient was quarantined in hospital and the World Health Organization (WHO) had been informed.