Marcelo Montecinos/The Santiago Times Staff
The Chilean Minister of Foreign Relations, Teodoro Ribera, announced today a repatriation initiative for Chileans and Peruvians that would allow them to return to their respective countries.
The initiative will open up the restrictive measures taken by each government on their shared borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new measures will affect more than 300 Chileans and about 1200 Peruvians.
“It’s an initiative that took a long time to do. Chile is a country that has had its borders open to receive its compatriots, but other countries have adopted more severe policies, mainly to face the pandemic,” commented the Chancellor.
Ribera specified that 114 Chileans stranded in Cusco, Arequipa and Tacna will cross over to Arica by bus while an additional eight would do so by car from today to Wednesday May 27.
A través de esta operación, también se espera que alrededor de 1.200 ciudadanos peruanos que están en Chile puedan regresar a su país. Agradecemos a todas las voluntades que han permitido este ansiado regreso a casa.
— Teodoro Ribera Neumann (@TeodoroRiberaN) May 22, 2020
Eighty six Argentinians were escorted by police from Peru to Chile and then to the Jama border (Atacama) to cross over to Argentina.
Hoy, 72 ciudadanos argentinos retornan a su país pasando por Chile. Ingresaron desde Perú por paso Chacalluta y se dirigen a paso Jama en una caravana de 32 vehículos escoltada por @Carabdechile. Ejemplo de colaboración entre países hermanos. Gracias @min_interior. pic.twitter.com/uTiFx3RFkO
— Teodoro Ribera Neumann (@TeodoroRiberaN) May 23, 2020
Peruvians stranded in Arica will be going home starting this Saturday until Tuesday 26 of May.
In Pics: Peruvian migrants sleeping outside embassy in Santiago de Chile
