Global travel restrictions are dramatically ramping up amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile Mongolia is frantically evacuating its citizens from abroad. In Italy, where the government is extending its large-scale lockdown, the death toll climbed to 3,405 on Thursday. More people have now died from the illness in Italy than in China.

Some 300 Mongolians who live or study in Italy have requested to return home with a chartered flight as quickly as possible. Currently, Mongolia has evacuated nearly 1000 people from South Korea, Japan and Europe. The process is constrained by the country’s ability to receive and quarantine people suspected of carrying the disease. Additional Government-chartered flights are currently under discussion.

Furthermore, many other Mongolians have requested to return home from Russia, India and Kazakhstan.