Covid-19: French nationals repatriated from Dubai, 2 more flights announced

Abu Dhabi - Flights will take off on Friday and Saturday.

French missions in the UAE managed to repatriate 132 passengers, including 68 French nationals, on a special Emirates flight from Dubai on Wednesday.

The missions urged French citizens who wish to leave the UAE to make use of the Emirates' Dubai-Paris services on Friday and Sunday.

"The Consul-General and Head of Chancery were at the airport on Wednesday to help with the formalities. Now, those who wish to leave may take the Emirates services on April 10 and 12. After this, Emirates services will be suspended until further notice. Last week, we flew out 400 people to Paris from Dubai on Air France special flight," the consulate in Dubai told Khaleej Times.

French Ambassador to the UAE Ludovic Pouille urged community members to comply with local restrictions in place to curb the spread of Covid-19 and save lives. "You have risen to the current challenges by staying home. We must carry on this because this is how we will win the fight against Covid-19."

On Wednesday, the number of Covid-19 cases in the UAE is more than 2,300 with 12 deaths. Meanwhile, there are more than 100,000 cases in France with over 10,000 deaths.

"The progression of the pandemic in the UAE led the authorities to extend and reinforce the containment and preventive measures. This is a tough moment, but these measures save lives and we must keep on respecting them very carefully."

The envoy asked community members to make optimum use of their time when at home.

"Let's enjoy this time to read, to create, to discover the great online cultural offer," he said and assured expats to reach out to the missions for any assistance.

"Together with our Emirati friends, we will overcome this difficult time."

For emergencies, French nationals can call 028131001, 0506446860 and 0524673165.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com