The government has arranged the return to Italy of more than 79,000 citizens from all over the world since the start of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio stated on Wednesday.
"We have repatriated over 79,000 fellow citizens from 117 different countries thanks to 740 operations involving planes and other forms of transport," Di Maio told lawmakers at parliamentary question time.
Tens of thousands of Italians were stranded aboard when the Covid-19 pandemic caused countries to suspend international flights and close their borders. The repatriations have followed intense diplomatic activity in recent months.
