A total of 176 nationals returned to Venezuela this Friday through the Plan Vuelta a la Patria, on two flights from Ecuador, one from Quito with 82 and another from Guayaquil with 94, through the state airline Conviasa.
Among the beneficiaries were Venezuelan migrants in a state of vulnerability and fellow citizens in a situation of urgency, who had not been able to return due to restrictions on flights derived from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon arrival at the Maiquetía International Airport, they received the relevant medical and health care to diagnose possible cases of COVID-19 and all prevention protocols were complied to prevent the spread of the virus, including the application of diagnostic tests and supervised temporary isolation.
Nelly Gómez, 72, a native of Valencia, returned excited on the flight from Guayaquil:
«I return after two years in Ecuador, where I traveled to take care of my daughter because she had given birth. I had not been able to return due to the prohibition of flights between countries as a result of the pandemic, but thank God this opportunity for humanitarian flights has opened up and today I am again treading my country, where I have my people, my roots, my love. Venezuela is a land of Grace. «
Since its creation, the Plan Vuelta a la Patria has returned 21,194 Venezuelan migrants from countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Italy and Spain, among others; making it the most far-reaching humanitarian bridge in history.
The Plan Vuelta a la Patria, created by President Nicolás Maduro in 2018, establishes an air and land bridge for the voluntary return of migrants who are in a situation of vulnerability or pressure in the receiving countries.