Kurdistan brings home nearly 200 citizens stranded in Europe amid COVID-19 travel restrictions

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)'s Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) announced the latest repatriation of citizens that have been stranded abroad for months because of the halt in international flights to the Kurdistan Region from European countries, including Poland, Netherlands, and Belgium through Germany, to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - In a statement issued on Thursday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)'s Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) announced the latest return of citizens home that have been stranded abroad for months because of the halt in international flights to the Kurdistan Region from European countries, including Poland, Netherlands, and Belgium through Germany, to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

The new repatriation mission comes as the Iraqi Civil Aviation on Thursday announced another extension of the grounding of international flights, this time until May 31, as part of its preventive measures to manage coronavirus outbreaks.  

Under the directive of Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, a number of citizens stranded abroad due to the suspension of air traffic have safely returned home, the DFR statement explained.

A single flight returned 193 KRG citizens from different European Union countries, including Poland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, through Germany’s Frankfurt to the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil International Airport on Thursday, the statement read.

The KRG's Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) carried out the return in coordination with the federal foreign ministry of Iraq. The KRG Mission to EU and Poland also took part, as per their statements.

DFR head Safeen Dizayee extended his appreciation for all those who played a role in the successful return of the residents at a time when virtually all commercial flights have been halted.

On Friday, the DFR announced that it had brought back 223 citizens from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Swede to Kurdistan Region's Erbil Aiport. 

Read More: KRG repatriates another 223 stranded citizens from UAE, Sweden amid COVID-19 crisis

The returnees "will follow health measures and undergo quarantine for 14 days," the DFR affirmed.

Iraq's Civil Aviation Authority first decided to suspend all international passenger flights on March 17. Originally, the suspension was planned to last for a week, as the government began to take preventive measures against the spread of the highly contagious virus. However, it has been extended, with the latest suspension expected to end on May 31, although it, too, may be extended.

According to the latest figures from the KRG's health ministry, there have been 452 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region, including 385 recoveries and five fatalities.

COVID-19 has infected over five million people worldwide and killed more than 333,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.

Editing by John J. Catherine