An NHS nurse stranded in Cambodia has pleaded with Boris Johnson to bring her and her husband home to the UK.
Frontline healthcare worker Cheryl Baxter issued a heartbreaking video message saying they are ‘near meltdown’ and begged the Prime Minister for help so she could go back to work.
Breaking down into tears, she said: ‘I’ve now run out of my medications needed and money is dwindling fast, so please UK Government and the Foreign Commonwealth (Office) help us back to our own country like you say we should.
Video grab courtesy of frontline healthcare worker, NHS nurse Cheryl Baxter, who issued a heartbreaking video message on Facebook pleading with Boris Johnson to bring her and her husband home to the UK, after becoming stranded in Cambodia, saying they are ‘near meltdown’ and begged the Prime Minister for help so she could go back to work
‘I’m a frontline NHS nurse – come on Boris Johnson, help me get back to where I’m needed.’
Ms Baxter is a ward matron at Conquest Hospital in Hastings, East Sussex, and her husband Ivon is also a key worker, she says.
A GoFundMe page has been set up with a target of £1,000 to fund flights, food and accommodation for the stranded couple.
It can be accessed here: www.gofundme.com/f/b4n3d4
Ms Baxter and her husband had been travelling before the UK pandemic commenced and were due to fly home on March 22 via Bangkok.
She said: ‘We were told on the first cancellation on Sunday we did not have the medical certificates required to enter Bangkok, explaining we did not have the Covid-19 virus.
‘The medical certificate cost is 80 dollars and now it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. Apparently now we need a swab and negative lab results proving we do not have this Covid-19 virus.’
Those results take 72 hours to process meaning that they will be unable to take their rearranged flight, and they do not know when the next available plane out will be.
‘We also run the risk of Bangkok airport closing and also, the longer we’re here, of us contracting this virus in a foreign country.
‘We really are trying, believe you me, but with the language barrier and lack of communication this seems to be a relentless task.
‘We are near a meltdown and unable to cope with this uncertainty so I’m begging you all, please post and share this to assist me and my husband and also the other people trying to return home and get the help we so desperately need.’
Dozens of British families stuck abroad due to coronavirus restrictions are trying to crowdfund their way home as a last resort.
Crowdfunding page GoFundMe said a keyword search on its website shows a 54 per cent increase in campaigns in the last week mentioning being stuck abroad, and a 33 per cent increase in campaigns mentioning being stranded overseas.
Elizabeth Hazlewood, from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, created a crowdfunding page after being left stranded in Tunisia.
Undated handout photo issued by Elizabeth Hazlewood of herself, as the 52-year-old from Shrewsbury created a crowdfunding page after being left stranded in Tunisia, as dozens of families stuck abroad due to coronavirus restrictions are trying to crowdfund their way home as a last resort
The 52-year-old support worker travelled to the country on Friday March 6 and was scheduled to fly back on Wednesday.
But her flight home was cancelled after the country suspended commercial air travel to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Ms Hazlewood said she is staying in a hotel in the capital Tunis and is waiting further instructions from the British embassy.
‘I am running out of money rapidly,’ she added. ‘I really am stressed because of the situation and feel totally lost and alone.’
Another crowdfunding page was created for a family of four from Leswalt, south-west Scotland, who are stuck in Florida.
George McMillan, 43, his wife Kim, 42, and their children Finlay, 13 and Ruby, five, travelled to the popular holiday destination on March 5.
Undated family handout photo of George McMillan, 43 (far right), with his wife Kim, 42 (far left), and their children Finlay, 13 and Ruby, 5, from Leswalt, Scotland, as they are stuck in Florida after their flights were cancelled due to coronavirus, after dozens of families stuck abroad due to coronavirus restrictions are trying to crowdfund their way home as a last resort
But their holiday plans were scuppered after Disney World Florida announced it would close due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr McMillan, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, said their flights to the UK were cancelled and they were soon to be kicked out of their hotel.
‘It’s been very stressful, more so these last few days as in two days time that’s us out of the hotel,’ he said.
‘I have enough medication to see me through to about Saturday.’
While flights have been arranged for their return, Mr McMillan said they were not guaranteed.
‘There is (so) much conflicting information, we are effectively in the dark,’ he added.
Meanwhile, Adam Smith, 32, from Nazeing in Essex, and his girlfriend were two months into their travels across central America when they found themselves stuck in El Salvador.
Mr Smith said the country has enforced curfews and travel restrictions, with only one person per household allowed to go out to visit a supermarket, bank or pharmacy.
He has been speaking to the British embassy to arrange flights home but has not been told when this could happen.
He described the response from the UK Government as ‘responsive but so far lacking any detailed plan of action’.
Describing the atmosphere in El Salvador since the lockdown, he said: ‘Orderly – everyone we’ve spoken to has been 100% behind the president’s response.’
A GoFundMe spokesman said: ‘A quick keyword search shows a rise in campaigns for stranded families.
‘We’ve got our fingers crossed for all Brits trying to get back home before borders and travel routes close.’
A spokesman from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: ‘We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.
‘The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen.’
British holidaymakers across the world are fearing for their lives stranded abroad with no food, money or life-saving medication after their flights home were cancelled.
Jenny and Rosie Addison are stuck at Dubai Airport on the way home from a holiday in the Philippines after their connecting British Airways flight to London was cancelled.
The police officer, 28, (right) and A&E nurse, 25, (left) have nothing left to eat or drink after all retailers in the airport closed and have been trying to get home since March 14
The police officer, 28, and A&E nurse, 25, have nothing left to eat or drink after all retailers in the airport closed and have been trying to get home since March 14.
They are both ‘key workers’ desperately needed in the UK’s fight against coronavirus, but are terrified of being stranded in the UAE, which is also on lockdown, after airport staff warned it would close tomorrow.
The UAE warned foreign tourists that all flights would be grounded by midnight tomorrow.
But after a number of new COVID-19 cases, this was brought forward to 12am on Tuesday.
The Addison sisters, who are originally from Kendal, Cumbria, were due to begin their journey home from the Philippines on March 14.
They were forced to wait for 10 days until they could get on a plane, managing to get the last flight from Cebu on Tuesday, March 24.
Jenny (left) and Rosie (right) Addison are stuck at Dubai Airport on the way home from a holiday in the Philippines after their connecting British Airways flight to London was cancelled
But when they arrived in Dubai, they were devastated to find their BA flight to London had been cancelled as the UAE’s flight restrictions had been brought forward.
Jenny told MailOnline: ‘There are no shops or restaurants open in Dubai airport to buy food or drink. We are being little information staff at the airport.
‘We feel really worried and scared as we do not know what is going to happen or whether we are just going to be stuck in the airport which is apparently closing down tomorrow.’
The Addison sisters, originally from Kendal, Cumbria, are grounded at Dubai Airport (pictured)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising Britons stuck in the UAE to get in contact with them. But the Addison sisters claim they have had no help.
The UK travel advice for Dubai reads: ‘Inbound and outbound flights will stop as of midnight on 24 March.
‘If you’re a remaining British traveller in the UAE, you should continue to contact your airline or tour operator regarding any possible return flights. Contact the British Embassy if you are in difficulty.’
A spokesman for Dubai Airport said it was assisting passengers by referring them to their airlines and native embassies.
Elsewhere, a British tourist called Gareth Knowles suffers from emphysema and epilepsy and claims he is stranded on the streets of the Algarve after easyJet cancelled his flight from Faro Airport and he ran out of money.
He told MailOnline: ‘I cant get medication from a doctor over here because I have no money to pay for it. If I don’t get home soon I will probably be dead by this time next week.’
Mr Knowles has had three operations on his lungs and has suffered with pneumonia a number of times.
He claims he was told he cannot fly home yesterday because of the Prime Minister’s lockdown, but airport officials nor the Foreign Office have offered him any assistance.
Elsewhere, a British tourist called Gareth Knowles suffers from emphysema and epilepsy and claims he is stranded on the streets of the Algarve after easyJet cancelled his flight from Faro Airport (pictured) and he ran out of money
A British Embassy spokesman said on Twitter there were flights scheduled for Thursday.
But after spending £400 on trying to get home, he has no money left for food, accommodation or medical supplies.
He added: ‘I’m a high risk person and here I am out on the streets thousands of miles away from home.’
Sarah Khan, 30, is stranded in Pakistan after flying with her husband and her nine-month-old son to meet his grandparents on February 25.
The family, from Blackburn, were due to fly home with Emirates on March 30, but all the airline’s fights have been cancelled because airspace is on lockdown.
The mother-of-one is terrified of running out of baby supplies, including formula, for her newborn.
She said: ‘My nine-month-old son is running out of essential supplies we don’t have enough milk formula. The country is on lockdown here. Please help us.’
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said in a statement: ‘We recognize British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.
‘The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK.
‘The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen.
‘Consular staff are supporting those with urgent need while providing travel advice and support to those still abroad.’
EasyJet, British Airways, Emirates and Dubai Airport have been contacted for further comment.