Air Malta to fly back 14 Maltese ITU nurses stranded in Jordan

14 Maltese ITU nurses stranded in Jordan will be flown back to Malta on a special Air Malta flight this evening. 

The nurses will be subjected to a 14-day mandatory quarantine and can then report back to work at Mater Dei, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said on Monday.

In a Facebook post, Schembri said that the 14 nurses were stranded in Jordan due to all flights in the Middle Eastern country having stopped operating on account of the Covid-19 epidemic.

"I have just been in a meeting with Air Malta CEO Clifford Chetcuti where we made preparations for flight KM7837 to Jordan to repatriate 14 Maltese ITU nurses," Schembri wrote.

Air Malta, he said, does not operate flights to Jordan but talks with the Jordanian government resulted in the allowance of a special flight to the country to bring the nurses back to Malta.

"It's important right now to have all the necessary resources in our hospitals. I want to thank Air Malta and its staff for all their cooperation in the circumstances," Schembri said.

Air Malta has been operating repatriation flights during the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading in Europe. The airline also operated a flight to Rome to bring back Maltese tourists in Italy who were stranded due to the Italian lockdown.