DES MOINES, Iowa - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is telling Iowans that there's assistance for Americans wanting to come home from overseas.
Pompeo says the State Department has helped 61,000 people return to the U.S. from 109 countries since the conornavirus/COVID-19 pandemic began. "Some of them who were on a vacation or on a mission trip or overseas for work, and all of a sudden the world stopped moving, planes stopped flying, trains stop running," said Pompeo. "They raise their hand. They come to the State Department and say 'can you give us an assist' and we move into action."
He also says the department is still following through with its normal tasks, even during the heavy focus on the virus. "Look, we're a little slower in getting passports back to people today, bu I'm very confident in the days and weeks ahead, we'll recover that as well," Pompeo said.
Pompeo does admit the virus outbreak has taken a toll on the State Department. "Unfortunately we've had a couple of hundred people come down with the virus," Pompeo said. "We've now had three fatalities, three people who have passed from this as well. It's a reminder for our team, (of) not only how important our mission is, but how important it is that we do everything we can to keep every member of the State department safe."
Secretary of State Pompeo was a guest with Van Harden on WHO Radio in Des Moines on Tuesday morning.