Lebanon to continue repatriation of coronavirus-stranded citizens abroad

A man carries a child as he arrives, along with other Lebanese nationals repatriated from Qatar, at a hotel in the Lebanese capital Beirut on April 9, 2020, to be quarantined. (AFP)
Short Url

DUBAI: The Lebanese government will continue with its repatriation of stranded citizens from abroad because of tighter travel restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Flights scheduled for next Monday to bring back the Lebanese abroad were still on, according to Michel Najjar, the country’s minister of Public Works and Transportation, in a report by state news agency NNA.

The second stage of expats’ return would be in light of the first stage’s assessment, he said.

“We cannot repatriate all the Lebanese abroad; this is a massive issue considering the huge number of emigrants,” Najjar commented.

Two Middle East Airlines flights, one coming from Doha with 122 nationals on board and another from Frankfurt, landed on Thursday in Beirut as part of the repatriation process of Lebanese emigrants and students abroad.