Published: 11:02, March 30, 2020 | Updated: 05:39, June 6, 2023
Govt working to bring back HK residents from Peru, Morocco
By Xinhua

In this March 4, 2020 photo, Hong Kong residents disembark from a government-chartered flight and board a coach to depart for a quarantine center after arriving in Hong Kong from Hubei province. The Hong Kong government has been working to evacuate the city's residents stranded in Peru and Morocco as more than 200 assistance requests were received by the Immigration Department from the two countries. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has been liaising with the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in HKSAR and Chinese embassies in Peru and Morocco to bring back Hong Kong residents still stranded there, a HKSAR government spokesperson said Sunday.

As of Sunday noon, out of the 150 residents stranded in Morocco, 113 have either already returned to Hong Kong by different flights, or have secured return arrangements

As of Sunday noon, the Immigration Department received 86 assistance requests from Hong Kong residents stranded in Peru, including more than 30 group tour members. Five of those who sought assistance have left Peru already through other arrangement, according to a press release from the HKSAR government.

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For the Hong Kong residents remaining there, the HKSAR government has contacted the Chinese Embassy in Peru and a number of airlines to make every effort to secure flight bookings or arrange a flight for their return, and make necessary applications to the local authorities, the spokesperson said.

The HKSAR government is actively following up on the matter and once the relevant arrangement has been worked out, it will notify the Hong Kong residents concerned of the latest flight information at the earliest possible, the spokesperson added.

A street vendor using a protective face mask, waits for customers in a downtown largely absent of people, in Lima, Peru, March 28, 2020, during the second week of a government decreed state of emergency that restricts residents to their homes to help contain the spread of the new coronavirus. (RODRIGO ABD / AP)

Meanwhile, the immigration department has received assistance requests from 150 Hong Kong residents stranded in Morocco. Among them, 70 are from group tours, said the spokesperson.

As of Sunday noon, 113 Hong Kong residents have either already returned to Hong Kong by different flights, or have secured return arrangements. The 37 Hong Kong residents remaining in Morocco are mainly in the cities of Casablanca and Marrakesh.

READ MORE: Another 277 HK residents return from Hubei

The HKSAR government is actively following up with the Chinese Embassy in Morocco and a number of airlines to make every effort to secure flight bookings or arrange a flight for the return of the stranded Hong Kong residents. It will notify the Hong Kong residents concerned of the latest flight information at the earliest possible, the spokesperson said.