Tourists abroad urged to come home while they still can
BRITISH tourists overseas have been urged to return home immediately as the Foreign Secretary warned that those who dithered could be stranded.
With the number of airlines grounding flights across the world growing rapidly, Dominic Raab said last night that “the time to come home is now while you still can”.
It comes less than a week after the Government issued unprecedented travel guidance advising for the first time against all non-essential travel globally for a period of 30 days.
It is feared that hundreds of thousands of Britons are still overseas.
Yesterday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said international travel was becoming increasingly difficult as more countries closed their borders, imposed exit bans and shut airports. It said that as the international response to the pandemic continued to accelerate, further closures to air routes were likely within the next 48 hours, some without any warning.
Issuing a public appeal last night, Mr Raab said: “We are strongly urging UK travellers overseas to return home now where and while there are still commercial routes to do so. Where commercial routes don’t exist, our staff are working round the clock to give advice and support to UK nationals. If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can.”
It follows reports that travellers in Asia, Australia and New Zealand are unable to fly home, with the price of the few remaining flights back to the UK soaring to thousands of pounds.
Over the past 24 hours, airport hubs including Taipei, Singapore and the UAE have blocked transit passengers returning from long-haul destinations.
More than 300 British nationals in New Zealand called on the Government to organise a repatriation flight before the country goes into lockdown.
Meanwhile, more than 100 Britons currently in Tunisia are likely to be stranded for some time due to the UK failing to convince a Tunisian airline to resume flights to London.
The UK embassy in Tunis said it had been working with Tunis Air to try to arrange a one-off flight to carry the stranded families back to Britain but that Tunisian aircrews were worried about getting the virus in Europe.
Louise de Sousa, the UK ambassador in Tunis, said the embassy and stranded Britons faced “an extraordinarily difficult situation”.
In Peru, where around 400 UK nationals are stranded as a result of the country closing its borders, the Foreign Office has secured permission for one rescue flight to leave this week, with work ongoing to arrange further departures in the coming days.
Last night, the FCO said it was working “around the clock” to support those who needed to be repatriated and was calling for international action to keep routes open long enough to enable travellers to return.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, added: “This is a very difficult time for British citizens travelling overseas, or those with families and loved ones abroad. We’re in close contact with airlines, who are working tirelessly to ensure British citizens ... can safely return to the UK. We are also working closely with other government departments, including the FCO to ensure airlines are able to operate to bring people back home.”