With thousands of Americans stranded abroad, private companies often pick up where State Department leaves off

Carlos J. Vélez-Blasini, the dean of international programs at Middlebury College in Vermont, first learned about the coronavirus when students arrived in China for the beginning of their semesters abroad in late January. Expecting to settle into their new cities before classes started in February, students were instead confined to their dormitories.

So a number of Americans have also sought assistance from private evacuation and rescue companies, such as Global Rescue, International SOS and Medjet, which provide a range of different services to personal travelers as well as members of Fortune 500 companies and schools and universities. Bill McIntyre, a spokesman for Global Rescue, a company that provides travelers, companies and universities with intelligence and crisis response services, said the company has had to navigate a number of tricky situations amid the “rather unprecedented” pandemic.

Bradley said International SOS had clients in Wuhan caught in the outbreak, and described how his colleagues had to move people to another city in China that still had flights, or provide resources to anyone who could not get out. According to a State Department spokesperson, one of the areas of highest traveler demand is Central and South America, where many borders have closed. “The State Department is utilizing all possible options to bring stranded American citizens back home quickly and safely,” wrote the spokesperson, noting that the total number of repatriated Americans is over 49,000.

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