The US State Department said on Wednesday it was tracking 50,000 Americans abroad it said might seek help to return to the United States, straining the department’s resources as it seeks to arrange travel around the spread of the coronavirus. The number increased from an estimate of 13,500 on Monday. Ian Brownlee, the head of the State Department’s repatriation task force, said it had brought back over 9,000 US citizens from 28 countries. Visit our dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates. Another 9,000 are set to return on 66 flights over the next nine days, he added. “In as much as this is a truly unprecedented event, the State Department’s capacity to do this is being strained. We’re talking to the Department of Defense as to whether they can potentially help us out in lining up aircraft,” Brownlee said. There were 435,000 coronavirus cases worldwide, according to a Reuters tally on Wednesday. Fifty-eight State Department employees overseas have tested positive for the sometimes-fatal respiratory illness, while 16 across five cities in the United States have tested positive, said William Walters, managing director for operational medicine in the department’s Bureau of Medical Services. Read more: Coronavirus: US urges Americans to avoid travel, asks citizens abroad to return US President Trump declares coronavirus national emergency Up to 150 million Americans at risk for coronavirus infection: US prediction اي استفسار أو طلب خاص بخصوص التوظيف يمكنك التواصل مع الابميل التالي – مجير الموقع : alturky28@gmail.com لطلبات التصميم او البرمجة التواصل مع : hamzalaabar@gmail.com The post US says 50,000 Americans abroad may need repatriation help amid coronavirus pandemic appeared first on السعودية وطن.