Up to 200 Greater Manchester residents still stranded abroad by coronavirus travel restrictions, says mayor

Hundreds of Greater Manchester residents remain stranded abroad as tighter coronavirus-related travel restrictions continue to cause problems.

An unprecedented number of British travellers are trying to get home in what has been described as ‘the greatest global challenge in a generation’.

Many of those abroad are unable to afford the limited number of flights available, or are faced with no flights at all.

Local residents have reported being stranded in Pakistan, Australia, Goa and Brazil with Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd writing to the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, urging him to introduce extra support for those stuck abroad.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/133605/residents-trapped-abroad-by-coronavirus-travel-restrictions

Whilst hundreds of thousands of UK nationals have already made it home, the government has announced a £75 million funding package to repratriate those still stuck around the world.

Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said the ‘very complex situation’ was far from being resolved for some from the region.

“We have Greater Manchester residents in a whole number of countries, and the latest figures tell me that almost 200 cases have come to our attention,” he said on Wednesday.

“We’ve been working hard to bring people home, some people are coming home but it remains a very challenging situation that is different country by country.

“But there is still a high number of Greater Manchester residents stranded and we are continuing to provide them with whatever support that we can.”

Speaking at the government’s daily press briefing on Monday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said there was ‘a lot more to do’.

He announced that a new deal had been struck between the government and partner airlines to fly tens of thousands of stranded British travellers where commercial flights are no longer possible.

“Coronavirus hasn’t just challenged us at home, it is the greatest global challenge in a generation,” he said.

“And as countries work to secure their borders and stop the further spread of this deadly virus, we appreciate that an unprecedented number of UK travellers are trying to get home, and we’re not talking a few hundred or even a few thousand.

“We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of people travelling around the world.”

Heywood & Middleton MP, Chris Clarkson said: "The current repatriation of British citizens is a project of unimaginable proportions, but I cannot praise highly enough the level of support that my office has had from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

"Here in Heywood and Middleton my team are dealing with dozens of cases from all parts of the globe. We are in constant communication with constituents, either directly or via friends and family and we are doing all that we can to assist their safe return home.

"Despite there being a range of complex personal and medical problems with many cases, we have already had several reports from people who are now safely back in the UK.

"We remain in regular contact with those which we are still assisting and with the FCO and Embassies who are working around the clock to bring our stranded constituents home swiftly and safely."

Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd said: "I have been contacted by many constituents who are sadly stranded in countries across the world, due to the COV-19 crisis. Some are particularly concerned that their medicine supplies are running low, some are anxious that they need to return home to provide for their families, and some are keen to get back into their roles in the NHS, to support their country at this crucial time.

“I am sharing their details with both the Foreign Office and my colleague Emily Thornberry, who in her role as Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, is continually pressing the Government to take further action.

“I have also written to Dominic Raab MP to urge him to provide extra support to those stranded abroad, and to take any necessary steps to bring them home.

“I had hoped that the Government would use Dominic Raab's announcement on Monday as an opportunity to provide concrete assurances to British nationals stranded abroad, but was sorely disappointed. What we need is a comprehensive and fully-funded strategy to bring our British nationals home and to use every option at the government's disposal.

“This includes a substantive increase in charter flights, arranging joint repatriation missions with other countries, and deploying the RAF Voyager Fleet where appropriate."

With the help of the Spanish government, an estimated 150,000 UK nationals have been able to get home.

Further cooperation with governments and airlines in Morocco and Cyprus have helped in returning a further 13,500 people.

Niall Griffiths, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Additional reporting: Rochdale Online