Egypt advises nationals who plan on returning to their work abroad, especially in Kuwait, to be cautious in dealing with tourism companies and to make sure they meet all the necessary travel requirements, a statement by the Emigration and Expatriate Affairs Ministry said on Friday night. 

After a five-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, Kuwait announced the resumption of international flights since the beginning of August. This excludes travellers arriving from several countries from entering Kuwaiti land unless they stayed in a third country beforehand for a minimum of 14 days. 

The list of the countries impacted by the Kuwaiti entry ban includes Egypt, along with other countries from different continents. 

The Emigration ministry urged that Egyptians travelling to the Gulf country are to fulfil all necessary measures, including obtaining a flight ticket, carrying a valid visa, and reviewing the position of the transit country, through which they can travel to Kuwait. 

The ministry's call came three days after groups of Egyptian citizens were held at Addis Ababa's Bole International airport for visa and quarantine violations. 

According to the Egyptian embassy to Ethiopia, the citizens had obtained tourist visas but with the actual purpose of staying the 14-day long period in Ethiopia before going to Kuwait, and that some of them violated the quarantine instructions applied in Addis Ababa. 

Friday's statement calls upon citizens who wish to return to Kuwait via Ethiopia to wait until the Egyptian embassy in Addis Ababa clears the issue of the held citizens and coordinates with the Ethiopian side concerning the needed quarantine measures. 

On Thursday, the Egyptian embassy said that up to 52 Egyptian passengers have been released and placed in a hotel, and 24 others are set to follow in the next few hours.