ANGOP: COVID-19 - Angolans Abroad Wait for Empty Centers

Issued the following announcement on May 14.

The repatriation of Angolans is depending on the capacity of the country's institutional quarantine centres to receive more people, the Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Angolan Communities of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Domigos Vieira Lopes, said Monday.

The official, who was speaking to the press at Luanda's 4 de Fevereiro International Airport during the reception of a donation of bio-safety materials from Qatar Foundation, said the Interministerial Commission is creating conditions to carry out humanitarian flights and bring fellow citizens back to the country.

He explained that there are roughly 7,000 Angolans abroad in distant and neighboring countries with land borders and that in the bordering provinces quarantine centers have been created.

Challenges are enormous; however, the government is doing everything to meet the expectations according to the conditions that have been created, in due time, humanitarian flights will be resumed alike those already performed, to bring back those citizens, the official said.

Domigos Lopes explained that roughly 40 Angolans, who are in Turkey, have been accommodated by the Angolan Embassy in that country, and that as soon as possible they will be repatriated, like other Angolans in other countries.

The Secretary of State thanked the donation of the Qatar foundation on behalf of the Angolan government, stating that in official channels the government will express its appreciation to Qatar, a country with which Angola has good political and diplomatic relations.

Angola has so far 45 positive cases of the covid-19 which resulted in two deaths, 14 recoveries and 29 active (clinically stable). Of these cases, the country also maintains 18 local transmissions all registered in the country's capital, Luanda.

Original source can be found here.