New Zealanders boarding a flight back home in 2020, after being stranded in Peru due to Covid-19. Photo: Supplied / MFATThe government has spent more than $6 million bringing home New Zealanders who were stranded overseas at the start of the pandemic. The total cost of the repatriation flights would be offset by those passenger contributions, MFAT said in its response to an Official Information Act request. That same paper estimated it could cost up to $14 million to get New Zealanders home from high-risk countries. Commercial flights out of India have been cancelled or heavily restricted, causing headaches for people trying to flee.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 09, 2021 05:15 UTC