Venezuela to Repatriate Citizens Stranded in Peru and Ecuador

Venezuelans stranded in Ecuador and Peru will return to their country in the next hours on humanitarian flights, as part of President Nicolas Maduro's Return to the Nation program.

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"On Thursday and Friday, we have scheduled flights to Ecuador and Peru so that those citizens who wish to return home can do it," the Venezuelan airline Conviasa director Ramon Velasquez announced.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza made the necessary preparations so that the state-owned airline could urgently plan humanitarian flights.

"Venezuelan embassies in several Latin American countries are identifying the highest priority cases for repatriation," Arreaza said.

Until May 7, Conviasa had repatriated 90 Venezuelans from Ecuador and 250 from Chile. Before boarding the humanitarian flights, the Bolivarian citizens must undergo COVID-19 rapid tests.

Once they arrive in their country, they must complete a mandatory quarantine in isolation centers where they receive a PCR test, which is more reliable in detecting the virus.

Since the pandemic broke out in Latin America, 27,322 Venezuelans have returned to their homeland from different countries. Only 23 of them have tested positive for the disease.​​​​​​​