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repatriation
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2020-05-05
Professional Seafarers are Covid Essential Workers
My covid-19 story started at the end of January, 2020. I was working as a Marine Operations Manager for Holland America Group, which is comprised of four cruise companies: Holland America Line, Seabourn, Princess Cruises, and P&O Australia. As covid-19 spread across Asia in January, we stood up our Emergency Response Center, which involved taking 12-hour shifts to support the ms Westerdam, which had been denied docking in multiple ports in Asia as a result of the covid outbreak on the Diamond Princess. Though there were no covid cases onboard the ms Westerdam, she was denied docking in Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, Guam, Philippines, and Taiwan. Our job was to ensure that our full complement of guest and crew had enough fuel and provisions, with toilet paper being of critical importance (seriously!), to make it until we could find a port that would allow the ship to dock. Eventually, the Cambodian government allowed the ship to dock in Sihanoukville to disembark guests, which became a political photo op of good will for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen who attended the ship himself when it docked. But this story was just the beginning of the nightmare for cruise companies, and other maritime organizations. After working to disembark guests, the next hurdle was to repatriate crew, which was next to impossible with the extreme disruption to global travel, some crew members had spent months longer on the ships than anyone could have ever envisioned. Using our ships like ferries, we made plans to transport crew to their homes, but to compound the problem, local governments like South Africa and Mauritius were unwilling to accept their own nationals back when the ships arrived, which meant they had to keep sailing and further plans had to be made to get the crew home. What you see in the object attached is the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and that of its member companies making a humanitarian appeal in their interactions with local port authorities who were blocking their own citizens from returning home during this crisis. We were working long days, 7 days a week to get our colleagues home - but there is only so much you can do when local authorities will not cooperate. The object speaks to a desperate time in the maritime industry during the covid-19 pandemic. (Arizona State University, HST 580) -
2020-06-12
Virus Exposes Weak Links in Peru’s Success Story
Peru has become a hotspot for coronavirus, despite an intense lockdown and track & trace technology. The article highlights that COVID-19 cases have overwhelmed Peru's hospitals and healthcare capacity, what's understated is that Peru did take the right measures, they did react correctly and with national leadership. The problem is that they could not sustain an extended quarantine period. If it had been a true quarantine and the borders were closed, things might look differently, but the U.S. and Peru took weeks to negotiate repatriation of citizens, and groups of migrants began returning to the countryside or leaving Peru for their homeland, such as in the case of Venezuelans. With all of that movement, it is impossible to control the spread of an infectious disease. -
2020-06-17
My story on Covid-19 in Bhutan
How Covid-19 is being battled in Bhutan. -
2020-03-20
Repatriation Flights into only 11 USA Airports
Repatriation flights from other countries had to fly one of 11 airports in our nation. Cities now with some of the highest outbreaks of Coronavirus. Coincidence??? US Embassy Rabat and screenshot from my wife via the Facebook group -
2020-03-20
US Embassy in Morocco finally replies to its stranded citizens. Take note, the announcement was made at 12:18 am the morning of the flights.
This is a screen shot of the email sent to stranded Americans in Morocco who registered with STEP when traveling, letting us know there would be several flights chartered out of Marrakech Morocco only. A signed waiver to repay the $1475 cost of the flight was required. This was the first correspondence Americans received since the shut down of Morocco and many were too far away to get to these flights. Many were in Rabat waiting hours to get into the Embassy only to be turned away. With public transportation limited and Americans dispersed all over Morocco, these chartered flights left at 25% capacity to London while many other countries opened their repatriation flights to everyone into, the US flights were not full, with people from other countries waiting and went to London first. Not only did they fail to help their own citizens in a timely and acceptable manner, they selfishly refused to help anyone else. Embarrassed to call ourselves American during a pandemic impacting all nations and people’s. Scott Mentel & wife Tammy Mentel #HST643 -
2020-03-20
Getting close to check-in time at the Marrakech Airport in Morocco. Repatriation flight thanks to the U.K. Embassy.
Getting close to check-in time for our Ryanair repatriation flight to London from the Marrakech Airport in Morocco. Repatriation flights for England, Turkey, Germany, France and the Netherlands were taking off all week thanks to arrangements made by their governments. The United States finally replied to their citizens announcing there would be a few flights out on March 20, 2020 at a repayment cost of $1475 a person. This announcement was made at 12:01am on March 20, 2020, not allowing enough time for all Americans to get to Marrakech and flights were leaving at 25% occupancy. We worked with the U.K. Embassy and were able to get on a fully packed repatriation flight to London and then onto Orlando via JFK Airport in New York for a total of $925. So disappointed to be an American during this time. We had been traveling the world since late December and got caught up in the Coronavirus pandemic trying to out-run it. Only to have it finally catch up to us in Morocco. Original iPhone video. #HST643 -
2020-03-20
Repatriation Flight out of Marrakech Airport Morocco.Thanks to the U.K. Embassy.
This is a video my wife Tammy took from the Marrakech airport approximately 8 hours before we were to board a flight on Ryan Air to London and then onto Orlando, Florida as a repatriation flight negotiated by the United Kingdom after Morocco abruptly shut down all flights in and out of Morocco. It was a surprisingly happy place but also a potential hotbed for the spread of the virus. #HST643 Scott and wife Tammy Mentel, iPhone video -
2020-04-07
Comunicado a la comunidad peruana en el sur de California y en el estado de arizona
El Consulado General del Peru en los Ángeles con jurisdicción en el Sur de California y el Estado de Arizona, pone en conocimiento de la comunidad peruana las acciones y labores que desarrolló su personal diplomático, administrativo y localmente contratado desde el 17 de marzo a la fecha: