Coronavirus in Ecuador: 443 tourists managed to leave Galapagos

The anguish of not being able to return to their homes ended Saturday for dozens of tourists who were trapped in the Galapagos Islands.

Coronavirus in Ecuador: 443 tourists managed to leave Galapagos

Such was the despair that there was applause at the San Cristóbal airport when the ships arrived and tourists in Baltra expressed their gratitude on social networks.

Norman Wray, president of the Galápagos Governing Council, indicated that there were four humanitarian flights from Galapagos to Quito and Guayaquil on Saturday.

These ships from Latam and Tame went only with crew and cargo to the archipelago.

The flights were ordered by the Ministry of Transport and authorized by the Directorate of Civil Aviation.

According to Wray, those flights left with 443 people who were planning to return from Baltra and San Cristóbal.

Before allowing these exceptional flights, the authorities had estimated that there were about 2,000 tourists on the islands, of those about 700 were foreigners.

But just as a part managed to be back, there are others who are waiting for flights to leave the Enchanted Islands.

Xavier Romero, a Twitter user, said there were still Avianca passengers who were unable to leave the islands.

“There are still people who need to return to the continent. But I am confident that the aid will not take long, “said Gabriel Jara, a traveler who was able to board one of the humanitarian flights from San Cristóbal.

Just as there are tourists who could not leave the Galapagos on time, settlers or residents cannot enter because the flights enter the archipelago empty.

Wray anticipated that there will be food rations for those from Galapagos who are on the continent and who have not been able to travel to the islands. These people are registered and that aid will begin to be delivered.

https://www.eluniverso.com/noticias/2020/03/23/nota/7791510/443-turistas-lograron-salir-galapagos