The State Department has rescued more than 27,000 Americans from
50 countries during the past several weeks since the coronavirus
stranded scores of U.S. citizens abroad, including in some
countries that have been placed on complete lockdown.
“As of today we have repatriated over 20—I think it’s 6, or
27,000 U.S. citizens from more than 50 countries,” Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo told reporters Tuesday during a press conference
at Foggy Bottom. “The stories of our team’s heart and character
and commitment to excellence are truly amazing.”
This includes more than 800 Americans who were in Wuhan, China,
where the virus first began to spread.
With commercial travel reduced or completely halted in many
countries around the world, Americans have petitioned the State
Department for help. The United States has been able to work with
its local embassies to coordinate commercial travel and chartered
flights for those stranded outside of the country.
One American “critically ill from the virus” who was suffering
in Bhutan, a South Asian country, was rescued, according to
Pompeo.
“In Bhutan, no easy place to get to, an American was critically
ill from the virus, intubated on a ventilator, and frankly expected
to die in a country located in one of the most remote corners of
the world,” he said. “But we came to the rescue. Our team
arranged a biocontainment transport from Bhutan to an intensive
care unit in Baltimore, Md., a distance of nearly 8,000 miles.”
That included a flight through Kathmandu, which is notoriously
difficult to navigate.
“To fly through Kathmandu, there are about 12 pilots who can
make that flight,” Pompeo said. “It was one of the most complex
medical evacuations in history, and the State Department pulled it
off.”
The rescue effort is among the most unique ever undertaken by
the State Department.
“Never in the department’s 230-year history have we led a
worldwide evacuation of such enormous geographic complexity and
such geographic scale,” Pompeo said.
These efforts will continue during the next several weeks as
more Americans petition the State Department to help them evacuate
foreign countries.
While it is unclear how many more Americans are trying to make
their way back home, Pompeo said his administration will do all it
can to aid Americans abroad.
“We do not know in some countries how long the continued
commercial flights in your country may continue to operate,” Pompeo
warned. “We can’t guarantee the U.S. government’s ability to
arrange chartered flights indefinitely where commercial options no
longer exist.”
Meanwhile, the United States has coordinated a massive
international aid effort, sending $274 million to some 64
countries.
The post
State Department Has Rescued More Than 27,000 Americans Abroad Amid
Coronavirus Outbreak appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
