Algeria prepares to reopen its borders for June 1

Algeria will partially reopen its borders as of June 1, after almost 15 months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Presidency announced on Sunday in a statement: “Following the presentation of the recommendations (…), the Council of Ministers approved proposals in favor of a partial opening of Algerian land and air borders from the beginning of June. ”This reopening will begin with“ a plan of five daily flights to and from the airports of Algiers, Constantine and Oran ”, the largest cities in the world. country, as of June 1, specifies the text published in the Sunday result of the Council of Ministers. It will operate in “strict compliance” with preventive measures against COVID-19. “Persons entering Algeria, nationals or foreigners, will have to present, upon arrival, a PCR test of less than 36 hours, and undergo tests that “Let’s consider them reliable”, explained to the AFP agency the Minister of Health, Abderrahmane Benbouzid, before adding that the organization of the operations will be revealed in the coming days. The validity of the test can be an obstacle because it is much shorter than for other countries. «Negative subjects will be allowed to enter. They will be informed of the recommendations and instructions to follow. Positive subjects will be subject to a 10-day confinement, ”said the minister. Any quarantine will be at the expense of the traveler.Several millions of Algerians residing abroad have had to deal with the closure of borders and the suspension of commercial flights and maritime links decided on March 17, 2020.Since then, the authorities have organized repatriation flights for their nationals, subject to conditions, but the latter were suspended on March 1 of this year due to the appearance of the English variant at the end of February in Algeria. Prolonged protests have sparked protests and anger among Algerian citizens in other countries, particularly in France. Algerian authorities have confirmed 125,194 cases and 3,366 deaths from coronavirus to date, according to data provided by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Africa CDC), dependent on the African Union (AU).