Comparison of the Initial Overseas Evacuation Operations Due to COVID-19: A Focus on Asian Countries

Abstract

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, state governments all over the world were forced to respond to the crisis, prioritizing not only inbound activities but also their citizens abroad. Our study focused on the reasons for the differences in the evacuation operations, procedures, and outcomes in each country. This study focused on Asian countries/territories that experienced the pandemic earlier than other regions, to compare their prompt evacuation processes between January and May, 2020. Data on the evacuation missions and COVID-19 situation in each studied country/territory were collected. The evacuation operations were reviewed and analyzed using the Business Process Model and Notation to identify the differences that made some of the operations more effective. The insight can contribute to future adaptation and development to implement more effective operations during the emergency response to a pandemic.