At the end of the phone, Romain Estivals is disillusioned. “We just got confirmation that our flight is canceled. Our last resort to return has disappeared, "blows the Toulousain of 29 years. While traveling in the Philippines, he and his partner had been able to book a return flight ticket for March 25. Fly Emirates, their company, has announced the cancellation of all flights between Dubai - from which Romain's flight was to transit - and France.
Like Romain, they would be nearly 1000 French, in travel or passage, stranded in the Philippines. In all, 130,000 French people are in the same situation across the globe, as Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed on Friday. Countries are closing their borders one by one to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Airlines are following suit by canceling their last flights.
Admittedly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs encourages expatriates to return "quickly" and they are invited to register on the Ariane platform, a device which lists French people abroad and must be used to reach them. Romain Estivals, from the center of the Philippines, in Cebu, where he is forced to stay, undertook the process several days ago. But he remains without news and without answer.
"We have zero return from the embassy," also stresses Valentin Lerays, stranded in a seaside resort on the island of Palawan, in the southwest of the country. In the past week, I have sent five messages, no response, ”annoys the thirty-something. Originally from Chambéry, the young man arrived in the Philippines with three friends for a vacation on March 11. The journey quickly turned into a nightmare.
As early as March 12, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took drastic measures to combat the spread of the Covid-19. Internal land, sea and air links have been suspended. In Manila, the army monitors the population. The most remote corners of the country also apply the rules of quarantine. "We can no longer do our own shopping," says Valentin Lerays. The manager of our hotel goes there for us. We look at the beach without being able to go there. Failing to help us, the French government forgets that no one has an infinite budget. "
The cost of these forced confinements becomes problematic for some travelers. Several thousand euros can be spent on a plane ticket, without guaranteed return. Almost all flights are canceled at the last minute. Only a few lucky people were able to return from the Philippines to France this weekend. As for reimbursement procedures, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that it "cannot intervene in the contractual relationship" between the traveler and his transport company.
“Limiting our social interactions as much as possible, as prescribed by the scientific community, also means limiting our international travel.” @ JY_LeDrian speaks of the recent measures taken by the French government to limit the spread of # COVID19.
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"I managed to get the embassy on the phone," says Romain Estivals. I shared everyone's financial situations. I was basically told: Ask your families for money and stay where you are. Thousands of French people stranded abroad must take their troubles patiently and hope that the situation will unfold in the coming days. The government has planned the establishment of an airlift to facilitate returns, in connection with Air France, and also called on the French airline to moderate its prices. But it is above all the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Friday, asking for "composure and patience" that resonate.