The Ministry of Foreign Relations reports that a humanitarian flight will be carried out to repatriate Panamanians who are in Spain, which has been authorized by the Ministry of Health and is being coordinated jointly between the Foreign Ministry and the Embassies of France and the European Union.

The flight will depart on May 10 from Madrid and will have maximum availability for 250 passengers. This plane will later pick up French citizens and those from other European countries stranded in Panama.

Spain is the country with the largest number of Panamanians abroad who have requested support to return to their homes, of which a plural number are students who have run out of resources.

The Foreign Ministry of Panama coordinated and supported the repatriation of hundreds of Panamanians before the restrictions that suspended the entry of people into national territory, imposed by Executive Decree No. 507 of March 24, 2020, came into effect. After an analysis of the current epidemiological situation in the country, after five weeks of quarantine, the Ministry of Health authorized the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to carry out the humanitarian flight from Madrid to Panama by May 10, 2020. Upon arrival in Panama, Panamanians from Europe will undergo all quarantine measures and sanitary protocols determined by the Ministry of Health.

The flight from Madrid to Panama on May 10 is the only flight that to date has been authorized by the Ministry of Health. However, the team of experts will continue to carry out the pertinent evaluations regarding the capacity of the health system to handle the repatriation and quarantine process, as well as other epidemiological considerations, to evaluate the possibility of authorizing additional humanitarian flights from other cities.

This operation demonstrates the need for cooperation and solidarity to face the pandemic in the international arena, evidenced on this occasion by the coordination between Panama and the European Union.