It was ten months ago that Covid-19 hit the world with cataclysmic reverberations paralyzing countries and economies; simultaneously, it was ten months ago when I flew from Cairo to Vancouver, Canada, on a nondescript flight. Today, I describe a far cry from that trip: my return to Cairo.
Prior to this, let’s peruse the Covid-19 situation currently in both Canada and Egypt. In Canada, the numbers are spiking, and precautionary measures verging on lockdowns are imminent. Early in December, the number of positive cases reached 433 thousand cases with over 13 thousand deaths. Toronto, Canada’s largest city, went into lockdown in November as infections soared. The Province of Manitoba and the Nunavut Territory have also gone into lockdown.
During a pandemic, travelling domestically let alone internationally is not favoured; in fact, it is severely frowned upon. As numbers steadily surged in Canada, travelling between provinces and areas within provinces was restricted. The province of British Columbia went further; interaction beyond one’s own household will be prohibited until early January. This announcement was a poignant disappointment to families preparing for the festive season, for what is a festive season with no gatherings?
Number of positive cases in Egypt are surging, too. They may seem modest averaging over 700 positive cases a day with a total of 127,000, but these numbers are also deceptive since many Covid-19 patients do not report to authorities when they get sick; hence, tracing is limited. Still, the situation in Egypt is somewhat of an anomaly and no validated proof is available as to why the numbers and the cases are not swelling faster. Some simplistic folks believe it’s God’s will; “He protects Egypt.” Others are convinced that it was the summer heat that put a dent in the surge. While there are those who believe that Covid-19 was around so much earlier that many caught it in November and December of 2019, and now Egypt is in the herd immunity phase. These are all presumptions on people’s parts.
In any case, the concept of travelling across the world seemed bizarre to many, and yet, my husband and I threw caution to the wind and braced ourselves. Not that I was feeling totally brave or safe, but the concept of not coming to Egypt on my regular winter trip was quite depressing.
Once the decision to travel was made, our Canadian friends were mystified: “You must be very brave to face air travel,” “I hope you are allowed entry back,” or “This is worrisome. Please think twice.” Still, I faced my trepidation stoically.
In preparation for the trip, first came the Covid-19 tests. The test is free in Vancouver if one was exposed to Covid 19 or one suffers from Covid-19 symptoms. For travelling purposes, it costs $375. Besides, timing was of the essence. Egypt expects a test conducted not more than 96-hour earlier, which was a relief since no Vancouver medical facility guaranteed a result in less than 72 hours, and the trip was yet another 24 hours. We kept our fingers crossed and hoped for no glitches.
The test itself wasn’t too bad. A thin cotton swab goes way into the nostril in two tolerable thrusts. Once the swab reaches the back of the nostril, the nurse twirls it around for ten seconds. Uncomfortable? Yes. Painful? No? Scary? Absolutely. The results came back via email as negative.
Lufthansa, as all other airlines, enforces masks on flights and at airports. Wearing a mask for the 24-hour duration of the flight, layover, and travelling to and from airports seemed absurdly unimaginable; still, it was unavoidable. The KN95 masks with 95 percent protection were onerous to wear throughout the trip, so I wore one during boarding and when flight attendants were in proximity; otherwise, I resorted to the lighter surgical masks while seated.
The three international airports: Vancouver, Frankfurt, and Cairo had by far fewer passengers than the norm. The ambience was somber as the usually bustling free shops, knick knack stores, and restaurants were all hunkered down. In Vancouver the International airport was closed off, either to save on energy or to service escalators and other amenities during the lull in traffic. End result, passengers had to walk from one end of the airport to enter via the domestic section only to walk back to the International gate area. At Frankfurt International, not only the lounges but also eateries were closed, so it was wise on our part to have prepared a snack for the six-hour layover.
Evidently Covid-19 had left its stark marks on these premises.
On both flights, it was business as usual, if one considers wearing a mask for the ten-hour and the four-hour flights ordinary. Crews wore masks, and many passengers wore shields over and above the masks. The trip to Frankfurt wasn’t full, but the Cairo one was. Still, to avoid congestion, boarding and disembarking were both done by row. The flight attendant would call on two or three rows at a time. Once these passengers were about to step off the plane, those seated in the next couple of rows were called on to disembark. We were never huddled together or worried about being in close quarters to anyone.
At Cairo Airport, we were out in no time. We took a car from the airport to Heliopolis, which has changed so much in the last year that we got lost in an area where we had resided all our lives. The driver had to resort to his phone map to make up for the fog that had invaded our brains.
Rules and regulations change regularly amid Covid-19. Prior to flying back, we are to sign up at a Canadian site that advises incoming travellers on the latest instructions, be it lockdown, isolation, or testing.
We are still in the throes of the epidemic, and, the light at the end of this very lengthy and strenuous tunnel is still far. We look forward to the day when we can travel again without fear.
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