Los Angeles Congresswoman Maxine Waters has announced that the U.S. State Department has chartered emergency flights for U.S. citizens stranded in Morocco after the government there suspended international flights to and from its airports as a protective measure against the spread of the coronavirus.
“I am elated that my constituent and all Americans who were stranded in Morocco will now be able to safely return home to the United States,” Waters said late Friday. “… I am pleased that the State Department has decided to uphold its responsibility to protect American citizens who are stranded abroad as we confront the coronavirus pandemic, and I commend American Airlines for their assistance with this matter. I urge my colleagues in Congress to continue to monitor reports of Americans who may be stranded in other countries, and ensure that the Trump administration is providing assistance and safe passage home to all Americans who are stranded abroad.”
Waters said she received a call from a constituent Tuesday requesting help with reaching the State Department and U.S. Embassy in Morocco, which had “ignored requests for assistance from Americans who were stranded in
Morocco.”
The number of Americans needing to fly home from Morocco turned out to be about 3,000, she said.
The special return flights, which were chartered by the State Department through American Airlines partner British Airways, began transporting Americans home from Morocco on Friday.
Waters, a Democrat representing California’s 43rd Congressional District, is the Chair of the House Financial Services Committee.
