HONG KONG-The SAR government will send a chartered flight to bring home Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru which has declared a state of emergency and tough traffic restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The chartered flight is set to leave Peru’s capital Lima for London on Friday, Peru time. Evacuees will have to pay for the seats reserved for them on another flight from London to Hong Kong, said a government spokesman on Tuesday night.
Hong Kong residents scattered in different parts of Peru, including more than 30 in the southeastern city of Cusco, need to arrive at the airport in Lima before noon on Friday. The spokesman said the Chinese embassy in Peru and local travel agencies will assist them.
But those who show symptoms of coronavirus infection will not be allowed to board the plane; those who return home will be subject to a mandatory two-week quarantine upon arrival, the spokesman added.
A 64-year-old Hong Kong man infected by the virus was found dead in a hostel in Cusco on March 27, local time. Three Hong Kong people in close contact with him had to stay in Peru for quarantines.
As of Tuesday noon, the Immigration Department has received requests for assistance from 91 Hong Kong residents in Peru, including more than 30 tour group members. Nine of them have already left Peru on their own.
The SAR government appealed to other Hong Kong residents who plan to fly home to contact immigration, as only one flight has been arranged so far.
Meanwhile, 39 Hong Kong residents remain stranded due to lockdowns in Morocco - mostly in Casablanca and Marrakech. The government said it is working with the Chinese embassy in Morocco and with airlines to see whether these people can also be flown home.
