While most Irish travellers stranded in Peru by the coronavirus pandemic arrived home on Monday, for a small number still stuck there the wait to get out goes on.
Over 100 Irish and their dependants were repatriated on a Government-chartered flight that left the capital Lima on Sunday. But the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that, as a result of quarantine restrictions and people being trapped in regions unreachable by road, “a handful of Irish citizens remain in Peru”.
Among those who missed the flight was Belfast man Rhys McKendry, whose hostel in the city of Cusco was placed in "absolute quarantine" by health officials last week after two guests were tested positive for Covid-19.
He said Irish and British diplomats, when organising Sunday's repatriation, appeared to overlook the fact he and around 20 British nationals also in the hostel would need special permission from the ministry of health to leave if they were to make one of the British Airways flights chartered by Dublin and London.
“To be fair to the Department of Foreign Affairs it has been a huge effort to try and get people home and they have to be praised for getting the majority of people home. But they did take too long to get onto the ministry of health here to get us out. So there are people still stuck here and they need not to forget about us,” said Mr McKendry.
At least two more Irish citizens are stranded in the Amazon jungle port of Iquitos, which has no road connection with the rest of Peru.
The inability to organise a connecting flight to Lima in time eventually frustrated the hopes of those stuck there of making Sunday's flight. "I had been living in hope awaiting good news and being patient. The mood shifted yesterday," says Maeve Carey from Wexford.
There have been reports of hostility being directed towards an estimated 400 EU and British nationals waiting for evacuation from the city. "It can be dangerous for foreigners because the locals are blaming us for bringing the virus into Iquitos and Peru," says Danny McGahon from Co. Louth, who is also stranded in the city.
The next opportunity for Irish citizens to leave Iquitos will be Friday at the earliest after Peruvian authorities refused permission for up to three German organised flights being planned for this week.
EU diplomats working on repatriating the 400 EU and British nationals in the city expressed their frustration at the decision.
