简体中文
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday that the country has launched repatriation efforts for thousands of Germans stuck abroad due to travel restrictions amid coronavirus outbreaks.
"We will do everything we can to enable the thousands of German travelers stranded abroad to return to Germany in the next few days. To this end, we agreed yesterday with commercial flight providers to launch a unique program," said Maas on his Twitter account.
Mass said the German government would provide financial aid of up to 50 million euros (55 million U.S. dollars) for the program.
On Monday, the German Foreign Office agreed on a special program with commercial flight operators to bring German tourists back from particularly affected areas such as Morocco, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, the Philippines and the Maldives.
The German Foreign Office asked all Germans who are stuck abroad to register on a list on its website so that their return could be organized.
In an interview with the newspaper Bild on Tuesday, Maas said he is expecting a total of 30 to 40 return flights for German tourists.
The return campaign would factually be an "air bridge" now, Maas was quoted as saying.
The term "air bridge" is primarily associated with the Berlin air bridge of 1948 and 1949, when the Western Allies supplied the western part of Berlin, cut off by a Soviet blockade, from the air for almost 11 months.
Maas also warned against all unnecessary tourist trips. "Hence the urgent request: stay at home. You are helping yourself and others! This travel warning for tourist trips applies worldwide," Maas tweeted Tuesday.
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Germany has climbed to over 6,000 on Monday. The German government has introduced a package of strict measures to reduce social contacts.
