The Spokesperson for the Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, Soha Bahgat announced Saturday that over 90 percent of the final preparations for the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) have been completed. During a phone-in with the morning show of TeN satellite channel, Bahgat said there is a committee in place for the opening ceremony. Many important relics currently housed in the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo, such as Tutankhamun’s mask, will be moved to the new museum once it opens. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in April decided to delay the opening of both the GEM and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s tourism ministry is overseeing a number of campaigns to encourage the return of tourists.

Source: Egypt Independent November 14, 2020 12:22 UTC