Coronavirus: repatriation of hundreds of French people from Nicaragua and Argentina

About 160 European tourists, mostly French, left Nicaragua on Friday on a flight chartered by France, and nearly 500 others must do so on Saturday from Buenos Aires, as part of the repatriations organized because of the coronavirus epidemic. "It is an exceptional operation , " recalled the French ambassador to Nicaragua, Philippe Létrilliart, recalling that more than 130,000 French tourists have already been repatriated after the suspension of numerous commercial flights and border closings worldwide.

A total of 600 European tourists have left Nicaragua since the start of the week on two flights, one chartered by Germany and the other by France, said European Union delegate Pelayo. Castro, present at Managua airport when passengers boarded. "It has been a huge coordination effort ," he said.

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According to the latest official figures, Nicaragua has counted five cases of Covid-19, including one death. The Central American country has been the subject of much criticism for not having closed its borders and for not having encouraged social isolation to prevent the spread of the pandemic. In particular, the government invited residents to visit the country's tourist centers during Holy Week, a holiday period and a strong tourist influx in Latin America. "While elsewhere in the world, we recommend staying at home to counter the pandemic, Nicaragua is doing the opposite," lamented Sophia Gérard, before embarking.

In Argentina, 445 French tourists stranded in this country for several weeks must take a flight to France on Saturday. Several groups of tourists were already present in the Argentine capital, while others were to arrive on Saturday by buses chartered by the French Embassy, ​​domestic flights having been suspended since March 17 in this country. "These are people who have been in Argentina for more than 14 days, stranded and confined, and they should be treated in the best way," according to a diplomatic source, referring to the numerous police checks that certain groups have gone through.

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On March 12, the Argentine government suspended international flights from the areas most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including European countries, for 30 days. There are 1,265 officially registered cases in Argentina, including 37 deaths.

Some 132,000 French people have been repatriated since March 16, the day when French President Emmanuel Macron announced the establishment of a support system for French tourists or visitors traveling abroad. Between 4,000 and 5,000 French people are still trapped abroad.