1,000 Israelis stranded in Peru with closure of border due to coronavirus
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said his ministry would 'coordinate details with a company and with the Peruvian authorities'
About 1,000 Israelis stranded in Peru after the South American nation announced that it would close its borders will return home on a special El Al flight.
The first plane will take off for Peru on Wednesday evening, the Kan public broadcaster reported. The flights will be free for the travellers, according to Kan.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that his ministry would “coordinate details with the company and with the Peruvian authorities.”
Peruvians are confined to their homes, leaving only for groceries or medicines, and the city streets are patrolled by the military and police to ensure compliance. Travellers had only 24 hours from the announcement to the closure to try to leave the country, and planes to get to the capital, Lima, and then out of the country filled up quickly.
Katz praised El Al, which has laid off about 90 percent of its workforce as a consequence of the coronavirus on travel.
“El Al’s long-standing tradition as a national airline stepping up during a national emergency continues even now,” he tweeted.
Most of the Israelis are stranded in Lima and in the southern city of Cusco, according to Haaretz. They are mostly young people on their traditional post-army trek.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
