(4 minutes read)
· The US is repatriating its citizens from African countries in
the wake of the spread of coronavirus
· William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Operations,
Bureau of Medical Services in the State Department was recently told
that advisories were sent to the US citizens living in different
countries to get to know whether they are keen to return to the US.
The US is repatriating its citizens from African countries in the wake
of spread of coronavirus. The US has some 20 million people living
abroad. As to how many are in Africa, www.trendsnafrica. com could not
access the data. The evacuation to the US from the country they are
living is being offered to those who wish to avail that facility.
William Walters, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Operations, Bureau
of Medical Services in the State Department was recently told that
advisories were sent to the US citizens living in different countries
to get to know whether they are keen to return to the US. In that
case, the US has promised arranging for special flights to evacuate
them.
However, the US may find difficulties in evacuation on account of the
logistical constraints. In some countries, airports are closed and
flights are not taking off. There are instances when the aircrafts are
parked on runways to make landing and takeoff difficult, particularly
in crowded airports like Delhi and Mumbai in India. In order to
evacuate the US citizens from India, the US authorities obtained
special permission from the Indian federal authorities, which made
their task easier. .
In Africa, the evacuation can pose problems since out of the 57
international airports on the continent, over 30 of them are either at
restricted or no operations. Every repatriation flight has to be
negotiated with the respective government on a case-by-case,
flight-by-flight basis in the case of Africa, said William Walters.
The Department further said the State will not be able to continue to
provide repatriation assistance, and transportation options from many
countries to the United States because of the uncertain times ahead.
Those who choose to remain overseas should be prepared to remain
there for the foreseeable future, he asserted, conveying the gravity
of the situation. Back home in the US also, COVID-19 is having its
toll, with many states are toying with the idea of lockdowns,
including operations of airlines.
