It was paradise until they couldn't leave.
A newlywed couple gets stranded at a luxury resort in the midst of a global crisis. It’s a premise that seems ripe for a rom-com, or even a horror movie. And for Raul and Olivia De Freitas, that remains a possibility. But until recently, their story was grounded entirely in reality.
And they are. Olivia is a teacher; Raul is a butcher. They live in the city of Bloemfontein, which is about a four hour drive from Johannesburg, and have known each other since they were kids. After dating for four years, they got engaged, and last year they started to plan their honeymoon. “I always dreamed of going to the Maldives,” Olivia says.
And at first, paradise was in fact paradise. They laid out on the white sand beaches. They swam with exotic fish and sharks. And as best they could, they tried to avoid watching the news. But three days after they arrived, South Africa announced it was closing its airports. Eventually, Olivia De Freitas and her husband, Raul, were the only guests left at the luxury resort in the Maldives
From the tarmac, the De Freitas were taken to a government quarantine facility, a building that, before the coronavirus crisis, housed students. Although they hadn’t knowingly interacted with anyone infected with the virus, the government wasn’t taking any chances. The tiny room was a far cry from their resort lodgings, and they weren’t allowed to leave. Meals were delivered to them three times a day.
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