About 1,005 Dominicans are stranded in the United States by the pandemic

A total of 1,005 Dominicans are stranded in different cities of the United States and awaiting the completion of the efforts of nine pending flights that may bring them back to their country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The figure was provided to Diario Libre USA by the Dominican Consul General in New York, Carlos Castillo, who estimates that more than half of those 1,005 would be in that city.

He announced that the proceedings are being advanced so that on Saturday a flight departs from Miami and on Sunday or Monday another from New York, with 118 passengers each.

“They are Dominicans who live and live their daily lives in the Dominican Republic who were forced by H or R to be stranded in North American territory,” he said.

On March 17, President Danilo Medina announced the closure of the country’s borders, by air, sea and land as a preventive measure against the coronavirus. This caused Dominicans who were in the United States to be prevented from returning to the territory by regular means.

On Saturday, April 4, a group of 118 of these stranded managed to return to the country on a Delta airline flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. This was the first ferry flight organized by the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in that city.

“Yesterday we closed and asked for the new authorization again, because we have 1,005 people stranded, not only in New York but throughout the United States, who have used the facilities of our lines (the chatbot at 1-914-826-8091) to register “Castillo told Diario Libre USA in an interview via telephone.

The protocol agreed with Delta Airlines – Castillo explained – consists of not transferring more than 118 passengers to respect the recommended distance from the coronavirus. “People are taking their temperature before boarding the flight,” he said.

He assured that when they arrive in the Dominican Republic they take rapid tests of the COVID-19.

“We are approaching organizations that have offered accommodation for these people who are going to be isolated. There is the case of Asonahores (Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic), which I believe offered some rooms (hotels), and we are making contact with them to give us that yes and thus we can get those 1,000 Dominicans out of this great risk they are running being stranded in the United States, ”he said.

In addition to New York, there are Dominicans stranded in Ohio, Michigan, California, Florida, and other states.

Castillo reported that the Consulate General in Miami is organizing a trip that may take place next weekend.

“We are trying to send people from us, when they have the flight, from here in our jurisdiction in New York (…), to send these people (to the Dominican Republic),” he said.

The consul said that many of these travelers are in hotels, incurring expenses and exposing their lives to the possible spread of the virus.

New York today exceeded 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 and has more than 100,000 infected, although according to the state governor, Andrew Cuomo, a stabilization of the death, hospitalization and contagion numbers is beginning to register.

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