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The tour guides association in Luxor, southern Egypt, has told its members that trips have been cancelled for the day, including big archeological sites, hot air balloon rides and a film festival.

According to one guide, who spoke to the journalist Ruth Michaelson, the lockdown is being enforced by local police, with tourists shut in their cabins on cruise ships or inside hotel rooms. “The tourists are OK, they’re happy to be checked,” said the guide, who could not be named as they were not permitted to talk to the media.

Officials from Egypt’s health ministry are travelling to Luxor today to screen tourists for Covid-19 amid indications of a large outbreak. The city welcomed extra visitors this week for the film festival, which suspended some events due to the outbreak.

The health ministry said overnight that 55 people were now infected with Covid-19 nationwide. Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country, reported its first death from the virus on Monday, a German tourist who was infected in Luxor and died in the resort town of Hurghada.

Health officials wearing protective suits sit in front of a cruise ship where 45 people on board were diagnosed with coronavirus, in Luxor, Egypt. Photograph: EPA

Egypt’s Ministry of Health said the tourist was transported from Luxor to Hurghada on Friday and died on Sunday in hospital. The tourist declined to be quarantined.

A tally of officially reported cases indicates the German man was not included in the previous toll of those infected, despite official insistence that Egypt is being “transparent” on this issue.

Officials have tried to project an image of business as usual, sending the minister of tourism to inspect cruise ships after 45 passengers aboard one in Luxor tested positive for the virus.

But the number of visitors developing symptoms after leaving the country in recent weeks has risen sharply. At least 25 foreign nationals have reported signs of the virus since returning home. This includes a Taiwanese national, reported to be the source of the outbreak on the Asara cruise ship in Luxor, who had symptoms after returning home in late February.

Workers on the vessel contracted Covid-19 but remained on board to welcome new passengers last week, increasing the spread. Several cruise ship staff in the city have reportedly quitbecause of rising concern over the spread of the virus.