US Repatriates Over 61,000 Americans Stranded Abroad Amid COVID-19 Pandemic - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) The US government has brought back to the United States more that 61,000 Americans who were stranded abroad amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview on Tuesday.

"At the State Department, we had tens of thousands of Americans who were trapped, stranded overseas and we've now brought back over 61,000 Americans who got stuck when air travel closed down, trains and buses stopped moving around the world," Pompeo told WFLA-AM Tampa Bay. "I think it's 500-plus plane flights at this point. It's been an enormous logistical undertaking."

Pompeo noted the 61,000 Americans were repatriated from 109 countries, including places like the Amazon rainforest and areas near Mount Everest.

"We're determined to help everyone who needs help getting back to get back here," Pompeo said. "So it's a rolling deal, because you still have countries that haven't closed down yet, but they could today or tomorrow if the virus hits them particularly hard. So I'm sure there'll be people in the days and weeks ahead who raise their hand and say, 'Hey, we need a little help getting back.' We're ready to do that."

On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. The global toll of COVID-19 has surpassed 1,900,000 cases and the death toll had topped 119,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University.