Egypt’s response to the covid-19 threat continues to top coverage in the foreign press, with questions circulating as to whether we’re doing enough to counter the risk posed by the virus. Misinformation abounds on social media and it remains difficult to obtain accurate official data about the number of infections, writes Zvi Bar'el in an opinion piece for Haaretz.

Meanwhile, the US tourist held in covid-19 quarantine in a military hospital in Marsa Matrouh is attracting attention on Twitter and various media outlets, as he details his experience online. Technology journalist Matt Swider is one of 45 people on the Asara cruise ship who initially tested positive for the virus, although reports suggest his test result may have been a false positive and that he is now returning to the US. (AP | Washington Post | New York Post | Live Science)

How to solve a problem like the GERD? Use a multi-stage approach instead of trying to solve all the issues at once, the Brookings Institution’s Addisu Lashitew writes for Foreign Policy. Signing off on an agreement for the initial filling of the dam — an issue on which Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have made significant progress — will provide plenty of time to find common ground over how Addis Ababa operates it in the long term, which is now the main source of the dispute.

Startups are fueling alternative tourism in Egypt, with platforms being set up to help freelance tour guides and drive interest to lesser known destinations in Egypt like Cairo’s garbage city, Deutsche Welle reports.