DUBAI: The Jordanian government is operating 16 flights over three days starting May 5 to bring home its nationals stranded abroad because of travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A total 24,779 students and citizen have expressed their intention to be repatriated, Brig. Gen. Mazen Faraiah, director of operations at the National Centre for Security and Crisis Management’s crisis cell, said.
However more than 1,000 citizens would not be flown home as they did not meet there return requirements.
The repatriation schedule would see the Royal Jordanian airlines operating two flights to Egypt and one flight to Turkey on May 5; multiple flights to Canada, the US, Turkey, Russia, Algeria and the UK on May 6 and two flights to Turkey, one flight each to the US, Hungary, Egypt, Germany and the UK on May 7.
Faraiah said that Royal Jordanian will send reference numbers to people who have priority booking via e-mails and mobiles phones, and they must visit the airline’s website and reply within 48 hours.
The returnees in the second batch meanwhile would have only 24 hours to reserve seats.
Fees include the ticket and the quarantine fees, Faraiah said.
Those who will be repatriated are required to under a 17-day isolation at quarantine sites followed by 14-day self-isolation at their homes after undergoing polymerase chain reaction tests upon their arrival to determine if they are infected with the disease, Faraiah said.
