Over 5,000 foreign nationals return home during lock-down

Kathmandu: Though the government has closed international flights due to lock-down pointing out the risk of COVID-19, some 5,000 foreign nationals have returned home during the lock-down period.

Four thousand and 874 foreign nationals have returned to their respective countries till Saturday from ‘chartered flight’.

Although the government imposed lockdown from March 24, it had decided that foreign countries could take its citizens from chartered flight.

More than 60 countries have taken their nationals to their respective countries from 51 special flights during the period, according to the Immigration Department.

The foreign countries had rescued their nationals who had come to visit Nepal and stuck up here due to the lock-down.

These stranded foreigners include employees of diplomatic missions of different countries, donor agencies and staffs of different project of development partnership.

Director at the Department, Ram Chandra Tiwari, said that United Kingdom had rescued the highest number of its nationals during the lock down period which stands at 666.

Similarly, Germany rescued its 656 nationals, America 535 citizens, France 425, Canada 322, Australia 236, Netherlands 176, South Korea 163, and Japan 162.

Likewise, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Poland, Austria, New Zealand, China, Singapore, Bangladesh, Maldives, Africa, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, India, among other countries also rescued their nationals (RSS).