Vietnam Sends 600 Europeans Home By Special Flights

Vietnam repatriated 600 German and other European citizens stranded in Vietnam on Monday and Wednesday by two special Vietnam Airlines flights.

The flights to Frankfurt in Germany were approved by the government and funded by Germany.

On Wednesday the aircraft also carried 550,000 antibacterial cloth masks donated by the Vietnamese government and people to France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.

Europe has emerged as the new epicenter of the pandemic along with the U.S., with Italy leading the world in the number of deaths, at over 17,000, followed by Spain with more than 14,000.

The flights will not carry passengers on the way back.

Prior to boarding, passengers were given a health check and told to keep a minimum distance of two meters when queuing. Face masks were mandatory during the flight.

Bamboo Airways took 220 people from HCMC to Lithuania on March 31 and 300 to the Czech Republic on March 25.

Vietnamese carriers suspended all international flights on March 25.

Since March 22 Vietnam has prohibited entry for all foreign nationals. Only Vietnamese nationals and foreigners with diplomatic or official passports are allowed in, and all are quarantined for 14 days.

Vietnam had 251 Covid-19 infections as of Wednesday morning. Of them, 126 have recovered and there have been no deaths.

The pandemic has spread to 209 countries and territories and claimed more than 82,400 lives.