Germany kicks off tourists’ repatriation process of its nationals

Germany has begun the process of bringing home tens of thousands of its nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told DW in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

“Today alone, 30 to 40 planes will take off for destinations around the world to bring back tourists,” Maas said, adding that the operation would “take a few days.”

Maas said the government was working on the assumption that scheduled and charter air traffic would continue to decline globally as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens. He also reiterated the German government’s demand that residents cancel their foreign trips for the time being.

“We want to make it clear that at the moment it is not responsible to fly abroad at all. I don’t know whether we will be able to maintain the kind of repatriations that we are currently undertaking in two or three weeks.”

DW