Two charter flights have been arranged to repatriate some 630 Swiss citizens trapped in Peru and Colombia by coronavirus restrictions. The Swiss foreign ministry has urged the estimated tens of thousands of Swiss travelers still abroad to get in contact via a special app.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
Berna repatriará a unos 630 suizos desde América Latina
Two planes have been chartered from Edelweiss, part of Swiss International Air Lines, to fly to Lima and Bogota on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Arrangements are also being made for 100 citizens to be brought back from Costa Rica.
“Over the last few days, the FDFA [foreign ministry], together with tour operators and travel associations, has been intensively searching for ways to reach blocked tourists in order to bring them back to Switzerland. Thanks to the proven collaboration with SWISS and Edelweiss, an initial solution has been found for Latin America,” read a statementExternal link.
The government has pre-financed the flights but passengers will have to pay for their individual tickets, bearing part of the costs.
The foreign ministry has sent out an appeal for all Swiss travelers to get in contact via its Travel Admin AppExternal link. Only 7,710 of the “several tens of thousands” of Swiss tourists abroad have so far submitted their name, contact number and place of stay.
“This is the only way we can get a good picture of the situation in the world,” said Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis. “This will enable support to be provided more quickly and in a more targeted manner.” People using the app are also urged to cancel their registrations once they return home.
Over the last weeks, Switzerland has cooperated with other countries, such as France and Germany, to repatriate citizens trapped abroad by the pandemic. Further flights are being planned.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Trump tariffs: ‘I’m a bit perplexed’, says former US ambassador to Switzerland
This content was published on
The former US ambassador to Switzerland, Edward McMullen, says he is optimistic for the Alpine country with regard to the 31% tariff on imports imposed by US President Donald Trump.
Swiss Federal Court upholds Beny Steinmetz’s bribery conviction
This content was published on
Switzerland's highest court has upheld the conviction of French-Israeli mining magnate Beny Steinmetz for bribery of foreign public officials.
This content was published on
The Trump administration has imposed a 31% tariff on imports from Switzerland. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter has warned against "giving in to alarmism" in an interview published on Saturday,
This content was published on
Scientists have shown that bonobos combine their calls into complex sound sequences that resemble combinations of human words.
This content was published on
US parliamentarians have threatened the UN Human Rights Council with sanctions similar to those against the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This content was published on
Thanks to abundant snowfall, lift operators benefited from increased visitor numbers, with the number of guests jumping by 12% year-on-year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss citizens repatriated from Wuhan arrive in France
This content was published on
A plane carrying five Swiss nationals and three of their Chinese family members from Wuhan has arrived near Marseille in France.
Airline Swiss suspends all flights to China until end of March
This content was published on
SWISS has now suspended all flights to and from China until March 28 due to the coronavirus. It will use smaller planes to fly to and from Hong Kong.
Swiss nationals in China feel lost in coronavirus outbreak
This content was published on
A group of Swiss nationals in China have sent a letter to the Swiss government complaining that they feel forgotten by Swiss authorities.
This content was published on
A further five Swiss citizens and two of their Chinese relatives have been flown out of the Wuhan region, the hub of the coronavirus, SRF says.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.