Foreign is organizing the return of more than 4,000 Spaniards who are stranded abroad by the coronavirus crisis. Of them, almost a thousand have managed to return in the last hours. The Philippines, Peru and Ecuador constitute some of the points where more citizens accumulate and whose solutions are more focused, according to sources from the ministry. In addition to managing to have commercial airplanes for those Spaniards who were away for vacations or other temporary situations, Foreign Affairs has urged more than 35,000 citizens who remain in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica and Thailand to return urgently.
The network of embassies and consulates of Spain focuses first of all on citizens trapped in places from which it is more difficult to get out, mainly in Latin America, Asia and Africa. The situation is very close to being resolved in Argentina, to whose capital an Iberia flight will arrive this Saturday to collect almost 300 Spaniards, and in Peru, where an Iberia plane will also arrive to bring a good part of the almost thousand people who have requested it. After the failed attempt last Wednesday, a device from the same company will land in Ecuador – also on Saturday – to bring in the more than 600 people who want to return. In the Dominican Republic, 300 people have already left and another 300 hope to do so on another plane that was scheduled to depart this Friday from Madrid to that country. Honduras, where almost 300 people await plus the 125 from the TV show team Survivors, Complete the list of repatriations planned in Latin America.
Spaniards awaiting return
–
Approximate figures in each country
–
malt
(They already have
returned
more than 540)
–
Republic
Dominican
300
–
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
European Union and Cooperation.
THE COUNTRY
–
–
Spaniards awaiting return
–
Approximate figures in each country
–
malt
(They already have
returned
more than 540)
–
Republic
Dominican
300
–
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
European Union and Cooperation.
THE COUNTRY
–
–
Spaniards awaiting return
–
Approximate figures in each country
–
Dominican Republic
300
–
malt
(more than 540 have already returned)
–
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
THE COUNTRY
–
–
–
—
In Africa, there are projected actions in Tunisia – an Air Europa plane will pick up fifty hundred Spaniards who have been trapped by the closure of airspace -, in Algeria – about 60 people are waiting to leave the country – and in Mauritania, where a plane Canary Fly will transport 70 others from Nouadhibou to the Canary Islands.
The Spanish Government coordinates with other European States for more remote places. In Saudi Arabia there are 43 people ready to leave on a flight managed by Poland. The situation in the Philippines is much more complex, an archipelago in which communication between the different islands is more complex than ever these days. There are about 150 Spaniards who have already left Manila, the capital, but another 600 remain scattered among the islands. Spain coordinates with Germany, Poland and Lithuania to find a joint solution. In Indonesia, where 150 others are awaiting return, the talks are with Poland and Latvia.
At the moment, the actions are very limited in European countries because the return options are considered to be still accessible. The government has mediated places with worse communications, as the case of Malta, from where almost 600 Spaniards who were there on vacation have already returned, and that of Greece, with 60 people affected. Several planes will depart from Athens this weekend for Madrid and Barcelona. The efforts will be extended to other territories if that need is detected, according to the sources consulted. And there will be more measures if there are left unattended citizens.
All the solutions enabled so far are commercial. That is, it is the airlines themselves, at the request of the public powers, that offer these flights, which are paid by the user. There has been no public money to facilitate them, clarifies Foreign.
Beyond the attention in these cases, the ministry contacted this Thursday by SMS with 35,000 Spaniards who are still in six countries from where the Executive adventure that it will be difficult to return in the coming days. They are tourists on vacation in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Costa Rica and Thailand. Those citizens have received a consular notice on their mobile that says: “Given the increase in flight cancellations to and from Spain related to the Covid-19, Spanish travelers are recommended to urgently reconsider their travel plans.” As in previous bulk shipments, the message avoids clearly asking for a return, but now urgently includes the word to suggest a quick return. “We are not sure how long the air space will remain open, but the situation can be very complicated”, abound in Foreign Affairs.
Despite all the travel restrictions – there are already 99 countries that absolutely prohibit the entry of Spaniards – the Government advocates keeping airspace open. One of the main reasons is to facilitate the repatriation of Spaniards and also the return of foreigners who were temporarily in Spain and who also want to return to their countries.
To manage all these exceptional situations, Exteriors has created a crisis unit made up of three of the ministry’s secretaries of state — the Foreign Secretary, Cristina Gallach; that of Cooperation, Ángeles Moreno; and that of España Global, Manuel Muñiz— and other intermediate positions. The Minister, Arancha González Laya, is in constant dialogue with her counterparts in other countries in order to streamline these procedures.
Information about the coronavirus
– Here you can follow the last hour on the evolution of the pandemic
– The coronavirus map: how cases grow day by day and country by country
– Guide to action against the disease
– If you have symptoms, these are the phones that have been enabled in each community
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