Banbury couple stuck in Peru hopeful for rescue as coronavirus outbreak impacts the globe

The couple, Briony and Nick Blake, had only planned to be in Peru for a few days to see the mountain Machu Picchu.

Then the coronavirus outbreak hit causing much of the globe to shutdown.

Briony said: "We actually left the UK in August and we were half way through our around the world trip of a life time, before we settled down and had our own family and all that boring adult stuff. So, we were in the process of travelling north from Chile all the way up to Canada."

They arrived in Cusco, Peru, on Sunday March 15 and the country went into lockdown on the very next day Monday March 16.

Briony and Nick had not planned to stay in Peru long because of its high altitude and its impact on Briony's health.

She said: "A few years ago I was found to have a tumour in my right lung completely blocking the air canal, and my lung had to be taken out along with the tumour. I now survive with my one remaining good lung, and have regular tests to ensure the cancer hasn’t returned.

“Due to the cancer I had one lung removed and am living with one. Being stuck at high altitude is making breathing very difficult for me and I constantly feel like I’m fighting to breathe.

"Cusco is at nearly 4,000m altitude and has around 40 per cent less oxygen in the air. I was never planning on being at high altitude for long, but with the lockdown in place I have no choice."

Briony and Nick have been staying in a hostel while in Cusco.

She added: "We were only ever planning on being here for two days to visit Machu Picchu because of the altitude.

"But unfortunately we were unable to leave before the country went on lockdown. Everything was sold out in the tiny window of notice we were given.

"We aren’t made to stay in our bedrooms at this stage, but as there are so many people I do get worried about who I’m mixing with, anyone could be carrying the virus without even knowing so I do spend a lot of my time stuck in the bedroom out of fear.

"If I were to get the virus which attacks your respiratory systems I’m going to suffer and suffer even more at high altitude where I find it hard to breathe as it is."

The UK government said today (Monday March 23) is working with the Peruvian authorities to organise several repatriation flights for British nationals across Peru to return to the UK over the coming week.

On Saturday March 21, the Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab spoke to his Peruvian counterpart Gustavo Meza-Cuadra.

Mr Raab tweeted: "I spoke to my counterpart in Peru today, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, and we committed to work together in the coming days, so Britons in Peru and Peruvian nationals in UK can return home, amidst the challenges of tackling Covid-19."

Last week, the government said tourists must pay for their own airline tickets home once a flight becomes available. But many of those were more than 10 times the normal price.

Briony said they ran into similar issues when looked into flights home.

They have been offered a flight through Avianca priced at an 'unaffordable' $3,000 - $3,500 per seat. And another flight from Lima with Saga at £2,000, but with no way to get to Lima from Cusco. Otherwise all normal flights have been grounded.

Hopeful

Briony has not lost hope that they will return home to Banbury.

She said: "By hook or by crook! We aren’t asking for a handout from the government, but we are asking them to organise the flight to take us home. We are willing to pay the market rate for this service. Not 10 times the price like we have been offered.

"We aren’t after a freebie, just the opportunity to be home on a flight ASAP to be back with family in these incredibly scary times."

The couple are not the only Brits stuck in Peru.

They started a Whats App group in an effort to connect other Brits who were in a similar situation.

Briony added: "After the closure of the country we reached out to the British Embassy to be met with the information that they have closed due to the lockdown.

"Feeling lost and afraid my husband and I found other Brits and Irish people stuck here in Peru on Twitter.

"We set up a Whats App group to stay connected. It grew and grew. We got to just under 400 names of Brits and Irish (which has grown since) stranded in Peru. We passed this information on to the British Embassy, but it’s been ignored.

"We get a standard response from them telling us to keep in touch with our airline. We don’t have an airline because like the majority of people stuck we are (well, we were) travelling."

In the Whats App group they created a hashtag #ukstuckinperu to flood Twitter 'begging' people for help. They encouraged people to contact their MPs for help.

She added: "We contacted news stations and the radio to make as much noise as we could to get the government to rescue us like other nations were.

"Each day the enforcement gets heavier. There are police and military on every street to ensure we aren’t outside. We now have a curfew in place and only allowed to leave your accommodation if you are going to the pharmacy, bank or to get food. You may only leave on your own and between 5am to 8pm. There is no public transport allowed.

"There are other Brits stuck here with medical issues that are running out of medical supplies that they cannot get hold of here in Cusco, backpackers that are running low on funds and don’t know how they will pay for this extended stay in Cusco.

"We have a young girl who’s father has passed away on Monday, and can’t get back to her family at this distressing time. We have pensioners here that are high risk to the infection and families with young children and babies. We all need to get home to the UK."