A London mother whose nine-month-old baby is recovering from pneumonia is appealing for help after they became stranded in Peru because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Caia Daly, 37, flew out to Lima with her husband Carlos Abisrror, who is originally from Peru, and two young children in February for a four-week holiday and to see family.
But their Air France flight home, which was scheduled for Friday night, has been cancelled after the country closed its borders and now they do not know how or when they will get back to the UK.
Caia Daly, 37, flew out to Lima with her husband Carlos Abisrror, who is originally from Peru, and two young children in February for a four-week holiday and to see family
To make matters worse, Ms Daly spent three days in hospital this week after her baby picked up a virus which led to pneumonia.
The mother is one of up to 400 British travellers who are stuck in Peru after the announcement of a 15-day military lockdown, which has seen flights banned.
Ms Daly, who is originally from Dublin, said: ‘If things get really bad here I’m worried for my children’s health, particularly with the baby recovering from pneumonia.
‘It’s a lung thing, the coronavirus does cause pneumonia and because the healthcare system here isn’t amazing it’s a concern. I’d prefer to be at home.’
Ms Daly had been hoping to get her family on another Air France flight back to Paris scheduled for Sunday but the British Embassy in Lima said on Friday evening that flight was now full.
But their Air France flight home, which was scheduled for Friday night, has been cancelled after the country closed its borders and now they do not know how or when they will get back to the UK. Pictured: File photo
She tried to call Air France herself but said nobody answered the phone, while the relevant link on the airline’s website only directs back to the homepage.
‘It’s frustrating,’ Ms Daly said. ‘We really don’t know what to do and we don’t know how we’re going to get out.’
Peru is currently on lockdown, with a curfew running between 8pm and 5am and all shops closed except for pharmacies and those selling food, meaning Mr Abisrror needed a special permit to visit his wife and child in hospital.
Ms Daly has been able to extend their stay at their Airbnb accommodation because the visitors booked to arrive after them had been forced to cancel.
Ms Daly tweeted a photo of herself and her baby and wrote in a message to Air France that it was ‘impossible’ for her to change her flight and that she could not get through to them by phone or online
Now she is appealing to the UK Embassy in Lima and the Irish Embassy in Santiago for help, as well as contacting her MP, Catherine West.
Ms West said: ‘Its vital that the Foreign Office do all that they can to bring home stranded British nationals, and Caia’s case seems one of the most urgent.
‘I’ll be raising this with the Foreign Secretary as soon as possible.’
Meanwhile, the family is hoping Air France will lay on more flights, or that the Government will intervene.
‘We’re just really looking for a way to get out,’ Ms Daly added.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab earlier admitted it is ‘very difficult’ for people to get out of some destinations and warned there are up to nearly one million British nationals currently travelling abroad.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: ‘The UK is engaging with a number of international partners and commercial airlines to see how we can help Britons still in Peru best return to the UK.
Ms Daly, who is originally from Dublin, said: ‘If things get really bad here I’m worried for my children’s health, particularly with the baby recovering from pneumonia. Pictured: Ms Daly with her husband Carlos Abisrror
‘We are working intensively to help all those who wish to leave and actively exploring what further flight options can be made available.’
Peru’s shutdown has meant that all commercial international flights into and out of the country of 32million people have been stopped.
As well as Ms Daly, fellow British woman Mereida Fajardo, 20, is also trapped in the country.
She had gone there on her gap year and has spent six months travelling with friend Gemma Harris.
But the pair are now unable to leave.
A young British woman stuck in Peru has said she feels ‘abandoned’ by the UK Government. Mereida Fajardo (right), 20, is on her gap year and has spent six months travelling the South American country with friend Gemma Harris (left)
They went on a trek in the mountainous region of Huaraz last Friday, and found out about the lockdown on Monday when they managed to get phone signal.
But by then, it was too late for them to get to the airport to catch the last planes out of the capital, Lima.
This week the British Embassy in the country advertised £3,000 economy seats on a charter flight home – rising to almost £6,500 for business class seats.
Miss Fajardo, who suffers from mild asthma, claims the British Embassy and Foreign Office have been ‘useless’ with providing assistance and she has been advised to ‘keep in touch’ with her airline.
But all commercial flights in and out of Lima have been cancelled, and internal travel between cities has been put on hold.