Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

Abstract Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic represents a serious worldwide threat. Stranded Lebanese citizens abroad appealed to the Lebanese government to embark on citizen repatriation missions. We aim to document the Lebanese experience in the repatriation of citizens during C...

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Autores principales:	Dalal Youssef, Atika Berry, Nada Ghosn, Mahmoud Zalzali, Riad Fadlallah, Linda Abou-Abbas, Hamad Hassan
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	BMC 2021
Materias:	Repatriation Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic Lebanon Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/4219a29881cf4505b5999ab28a35c975
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:4219a29881cf4505b5999ab28a35c9752021-11-28T12:13:13ZPhased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic10.1186/s13690-021-00740-y2049-3258https://doaj.org/article/4219a29881cf4505b5999ab28a35c9752021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00740-yhttps://doaj.org/toc/2049-3258Abstract Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic represents a serious worldwide threat. Stranded Lebanese citizens abroad appealed to the Lebanese government to embark on citizen repatriation missions. We aim to document the Lebanese experience in the repatriation of citizens during COVID-19 which allow us to disclose encountered challenges and lessons learned. Methods This is a retrospective description of processes involved in the phased repatriation of Lebanese citizens. The Mission consisted of 4 phases starting, April 5th until June 19th 2020. The prioritization of returnees was based on both medical and social risk assessment. The repatriation team was divided into four groups: the aircraft team, the airport team, the hotel team and the follow up team. On arrival, all returning citizens were tested using Polymerase chain Reaction (PCR) based technique, and were obliged to adhere to a mandatory facility quarantine for 24 to 48 h. Returning travelers who were tested positive for COVID-19 were transferred to the hospital. Those who were tested negative were urged to strictly comply with home-quarantine for a duration of 14 days. They were followed up on a daily basis by the repatriation team. Results Overall, 25,783 Lebanese citizens have returned home during the phased repatriation. The third phase ranked the uppermost in regard of the number of citizens repatriated. The total number of performed PCR tests at the airport upon arrival was 14,893 with an average percentage of around 1% positivity for COVID-19. On the other hand, more than 10,687 repatriates underwent external PCR requisite in the third and fourth phases. Two hundred seventy-two repatriates were tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival. Conclusion Considering the limited human and financial resources besides the economic and political crisis, the overall repatriation mission could be considered as a successful experience. Such processes would not have been achieved without the professionalism of all involved stakeholders.Dalal YoussefAtika BerryNada GhosnMahmoud ZalzaliRiad FadlallahLinda Abou-AbbasHamad HassanBMCarticleRepatriationCoronavirus disease (COVID-19)PandemicLebanonPublic aspects of medicineRA1-1270ENArchives of Public Health, Vol 79, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Repatriation Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic Lebanon Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270
spellingShingle	Repatriation Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic Lebanon Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Dalal Youssef Atika Berry Nada Ghosn Mahmoud Zalzali Riad Fadlallah Linda Abou-Abbas Hamad Hassan Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
description	Abstract Background The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic represents a serious worldwide threat. Stranded Lebanese citizens abroad appealed to the Lebanese government to embark on citizen repatriation missions. We aim to document the Lebanese experience in the repatriation of citizens during COVID-19 which allow us to disclose encountered challenges and lessons learned. Methods This is a retrospective description of processes involved in the phased repatriation of Lebanese citizens. The Mission consisted of 4 phases starting, April 5th until June 19th 2020. The prioritization of returnees was based on both medical and social risk assessment. The repatriation team was divided into four groups: the aircraft team, the airport team, the hotel team and the follow up team. On arrival, all returning citizens were tested using Polymerase chain Reaction (PCR) based technique, and were obliged to adhere to a mandatory facility quarantine for 24 to 48 h. Returning travelers who were tested positive for COVID-19 were transferred to the hospital. Those who were tested negative were urged to strictly comply with home-quarantine for a duration of 14 days. They were followed up on a daily basis by the repatriation team. Results Overall, 25,783 Lebanese citizens have returned home during the phased repatriation. The third phase ranked the uppermost in regard of the number of citizens repatriated. The total number of performed PCR tests at the airport upon arrival was 14,893 with an average percentage of around 1% positivity for COVID-19. On the other hand, more than 10,687 repatriates underwent external PCR requisite in the third and fourth phases. Two hundred seventy-two repatriates were tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival. Conclusion Considering the limited human and financial resources besides the economic and political crisis, the overall repatriation mission could be considered as a successful experience. Such processes would not have been achieved without the professionalism of all involved stakeholders.
format	article
author	Dalal Youssef Atika Berry Nada Ghosn Mahmoud Zalzali Riad Fadlallah Linda Abou-Abbas Hamad Hassan
author_facet	Dalal Youssef Atika Berry Nada Ghosn Mahmoud Zalzali Riad Fadlallah Linda Abou-Abbas Hamad Hassan
author_sort	Dalal Youssef
title	Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
title_short	Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
title_full	Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
title_fullStr	Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
title_full_unstemmed	Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
title_sort	phased repatriation of lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic
publisher	BMC
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/4219a29881cf4505b5999ab28a35c975
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Phased repatriation of Lebanese expatriates stranded abroad during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

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