British travellers continue to be advised against all but essential travel to Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Suez despite the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak on Friday.
The guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office remains unchanged with a nationwide curfew in place from midnight to 6am local time. “This is not being enforced in the Red Sea resort area, where the situation remains calm,” the FCO said.
“You must respect the curfew and listen for announcements about any changes to the curfew requirements. British nationals should observe instructions and advice by local security authorities and avoid public gatherings and disturbances.”
Referring to Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor, the FCO said: “We recommend that British nationals without a pressing need to remain in these areas leave by commercial means, where it is safe to do so,” the FCO said.
Cairo is starting to return to normal after the military vowed to hand over power to the people on Saturday. Schools, universities and the stock exchange re-opened for the first time since the uprising.
Soldiers were attempting to clear Tahrir Square where demonstrators have been camped for the last 18 days. Egypt’s military rulers say they are dissolving parliament and suspending the constitution, meeting some of the key demands of protesters.
The army said it will run the country for six months or until presidential or parliamentary elections can be held. A caretaker cabinet, which was appointed by Mubarak shortly after the mass pro-democracy protests began on January 25, will remain in place until a new one is formed.
Foreign secretary William Hague called for stability in the wider Middle East region after Mubarak stood down. Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt said: “The world is changing, but important strategic interests remain the same for all of us.
“That countries in the region stay close to their neighbours and get closer to their neighbours is very important. That the longstanding peace agreement between Egypt and Israel holds up is again very important in the region. It could be a building block for new relationships all round and we would hope that that would be the case.”