Mercy flight chartered for Kiwis stranded in Peru
A mercy flight to rescue Kiwis stranded in Peru has been chartered by the Government.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said yesterday that a flight was planned to collect New Zealanders trapped in the South American country, as it was increasingly difficult for them to ‘‘shelter safely in place’’.
In recent weeks, New Zealand has discouraged suggestions it would provide mercy flights for the 22,000 Kiwis who remain abroad, as the number of flights across the globe shrinks because of the coronavirus crisis.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said routinely that mercy flights were not an option as Kiwis were ‘‘scattered’’ across the world. Kiwis who remained abroad were asked to ‘‘shelter in place’’ nearly two weeks ago.
Yesterday, Peters said Kiwis in Peru had struggled – as with people elsewhere – to obtain flights home. ‘‘New Zealanders in Peru are finding it increasingly difficult to shelter safely in place given the complexities of the situation in-country,’’ he said.
Because of this, the New Zealand Government sought an agreement with neighbouring Chile to allow a charter flight from Peru to transit through the country en route to New Zealand.
Peru had counted a total of 1595 Covid-19 cases and 61 deaths, according to World Health Organisation data reported yesterday.
It has recently begun restricting movement, allowing men to leave homes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and women on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, according to the BBC.
A flight will leave Peru’s capital, Lima, at a date yet to be determined. There would be a domestic connection from Cusco, and tour operators Viva Expeditions and Chimu Adventures would assist with transporting New Zealanders around Peru.
Kiwis registered as being in Peru and Chile could expect an email from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
‘‘This has been an incredibly complex operation and officials based at the New Zealand embassy in Santiago, and our team in Wellington have been working around the clock to make it happen,’’ Peters said.
More than 22,000 Kiwis registered as abroad on the SafeTravel website. But more mercy flights were not expected to be arranged.