Coronavirus: St Leonards woman stranded in Peru says police and military are patrolling streets

Virginia Vilela arrived on March 12 with a tour group, which is now stranded after the country went into lockdown.

Peru’s borders are closed and no flights are allowed to enter or leave the country at the moment without government permission.

There is also a curfew running between 8pm and 5am and all shops are closed except for pharmacies and stores selling food.

Virginia said: “I am at present in a hotel in Lima with a Saga group of 20 and we arrived here on March 12.

“We travelled to Machu Picchu on March 13 and at that time it was business as usual, although we were requested to be vigilant with hand washing etc.

“Last Monday (March 16) we were informed by our tour guide at we needed to return to Lima as all travel was being restricted and the borders would be closed in the next couple of days.

“Saga and the local tour operators managed to get us tickets for the train from Machu Picchu and a flight from Cuzco to Lima, which was no easy feat.

“Cuzco airport was besieged with people trying to get back to Lima. The police and military were controlling the crowds.

“For the past week we have been in a very good hotel in Lima. In many ways and thanks to Saga, we are better off than a lot of people with three meals a day and a comfortable room.”

She said the Peru’s capital city, Lima is ‘literally on lockdown’.

Virginia added: “Everyone is confined to their home, but we can go to the local shop to buy water and so on.

“To be on the street you have to wear a face mask and social distancing is obligatory.

“The police and military are patrolling the streets. Yesterday the hotel on government instructions have advised us to stay in our rooms as much as possible and avoid the public areas of the hotel where we can.”

Virginia said she has been in touch with Hastings and Rye MP Sally-Ann Hart, and added she has assured her she is in touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

She said: “We are assured Saga is working hard to get us home and I am sure it is.

“It seems from what we are told the British and Peruvian governments are the delay in both finding aircraft and negotiating the flights.

“We were told on Saturday (March 21) there would be a BA plane early this week to bring us home and yesterday (Sunday, March 22) this seemed to be in doubt again.

“Apparently there are up to 400 British people stranded here along with other nationalities.”

According to the national media, the Foreign Office said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had spoken to his Peruvian counterpart, Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, on Saturday and secured permission for a flight to leave early this week.

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