The United States has urged its citizens abroad to return immediately to the country unless they are ready to remain there indefinitely before the new Corona virus turns into a "tsunami" with which it loses the ability to evacuate them, said Ian Brownley, charged with coordinating efforts to return US nationals from abroad, "There is no guarantee that the State Department will be able, within a few weeks from now, to continue to assist in the evacuations," according to the New York Times, on Thursday.
He warned that what is available today from using commercial flights or even chartering private planes may become impossible in the near future.
"If there are US citizens who want to return to the United States, they should make their arrangements now," Brownley said during a conference call.
The diplomat explained that the reason for issuing this warning today is that many American citizens abroad do not seem to realize the seriousness of the situation, at a time when the number of countries that are closing their borders and the number of airlines that stop their flights due to the outbreak of the deadly epidemic is increasing.
He said, "If you are standing on the beach and the ground starts to shake beneath you, then you do not stay there waiting for the tsunami to arrive, but rather you are running in search of a safe haven."
"In this case, the earthquake has already occurred, and it is time for you to go to a safe haven and not to hope for help later."
Brownley said that the State Department has returned to date more than 31,000 Americans since the outbreak in China, noting that these people were in more than 60 countries and were returned on more than 350 flights.
To date, the US State Department has organized evacuations of more than 30,000 Americans from abroad, but it has warned that its ability to continue to do so may diminish "within weeks."
US President Donald Trump had earlier warned that the United States would go through two "very, very painful" weeks in the fight against the emerging coronavirus.
Trump described the Covid-19 pandemic as a "scourge", saying, "I want every American to be prepared for the difficult days ahead."
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