Coronavirus: Conquest Hospital nurse stranded in Cambodia

Cheryl Baxter, ward matron on Baird Ward, had been travelling with her husband Ivon before the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK.

They flew out on March 2 and were due to fly back home on Sunday (March 22) from Cambodia to Bangkok then onward to Heathrow.

But when they arrived at the airport in Cambodia, they were told they were not allowed to fly, as they would require a fit to fly medical certificate.

The couple then got a certificate but their second booked flight was cancelled and are now stranded.

Cheryl posted a video on her Facebook page highlighting their situation.

She said: “We were told on the first cancellation on Sunday that we did not have the medical certificates required to enter Bangkok, explaining that we did not have the Covid-19 virus.

“The medical certificate cost us $80 and now it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. Apparently now we need to have negative lab results proving that we do not have this Covid-19 virus and these results take 72 hours to process, and our second flight is cancelled.

“We do not know when the next available flight is and we run the risk of Bangkok airport closing and contracting this virus in a foreign country.

“I have now run out of my medication that is needed and money is dwindling fast. So please UK government and Foreign Office, help us get back to our own country. You keep saying we should and we really are trying but with the language barrier and lack of communication, this seems to be a relentless task.

“I am a frontline nurse and my husband is also a key worker and we miss our friends and family dearly.

“We are near on meltdown here and unable to cope with this uncertainty.”

Cheryl’s video can be found here.

A Gofundme page has been set up online by colleague Cherie Pierce, which has raised more than £400 so far towards flights, food and accommodation until they can get home.

To view it and donate, visit www.gofundme.com/f/b4n3d4.