About 130,000 French nationals trying to return home – FM

France is trying to facilitate the repatriation of 130,000 of its nationals stuck overseas due to the coronavirus outbreak, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said.

“The fundamental principle is that for the 130,000, we want to bring them back to the national territory, but we ask them to be calm and patient,” Le Drian told France Info radio on Friday, adding that it would be up to them to pay for their return tickets.

The minister urged the more than three million French expatriates to stay where they are.

He also warned that the government was ready to toughen up restrictions in France to limit people’s movements if existing guidelines were not adhered-to sufficiently, Reuters said.