For two weeks, the author has been stranded in Lima—and under strict quarantine—along with more than 2000 other Americans. This is what life is like.
Even those U.S. citizens who were fortunate enough to get on a plane—including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers—described the process as chaotic. “It was absolute pandemonium at the airport,”Check Point Lima: Military dispatched to check driver's permitted to be on the road during theAs of March 28, there are still some 2,300 Americans stranded in Peru, and at this point I have little faith that we will make it home anytime soon.
The staff was very kind and tried to make the best of this extraordinary situation, but ultimately the hotel had to comply with the Peruvian government. It was a bittersweet departure as the manager informed us when we left, “After 17 days of enduring the pandemic together,” he said, “you feel like family.” He was right, but it was still time to go.Moving into the Airbnb felt like a new start in Lima. Like people all over the world, we take social distancing very seriously.
Among the ex-pats who left Casa Suyay, there is a small group of us who remain in contact with one another. We trade information about repatriation and share some war stories about our time in Peru.One woman I have gotten to know here, Ellen, traveled to Peru to hike Machu Picchu with her daughter, Isabel. When news about COVID-19 began coming out, they immediately cut short their adventure. Just to make it back to Lima sounded harrowing.
As if that journey didn’t sound harrowing enough, Ellen recounted that there was no working toilet on the bus—and a pregnant woman was among those crammed into that luggage compartment.Stories like Ellen’s help keep my own plight in perspective. Yes, it’s frightening to be stranded in a foreign country during a pandemic. And, yes, it’s inconceivable to imagine being confined to a small hotel room for two more weeks. But for now we feel safe and healthy—and that is what matters most.
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