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A woman from north London whose nine-month-old baby is recovering from pneumonia is appealing for help after they became stranded in Peru because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Caia Daly, 37, flew to Lima with her husband Carlos Abisrror, who is originally from Peru, and two young children in February for a four-week holiday and to see family.

But the family’s Air France flight home, scheduled for Friday, was cancelled after the country closed its borders. Now they do not know when they will be able to return to the UK.

Daly spent three days in hospital this week after her baby picked up a virus which led to pneumonia.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Caia Daly’s nine-month-old baby is recovering from pneumonia. Photograph: Caia Daly/PA

Daly, who is originally from Dublin, said: “If things get really bad here I’m worried for my children’s health, particularly with the baby recovering from pneumonia. It’s a lung thing, the coronavirus does cause pneumonia and because the healthcare system here isn’t amazing it’s a concern. I’d prefer to be at home.”

She had been hoping to get her family on another Air France flight to Paris on Sunday but the British Embassy in Lima said on Friday evening that flight was full.

Peru is on lockdown, with a curfew running between 8pm and 5am and all shops closed except for pharmacies and those selling food, meaning Abisrror needed a special permit to visit his wife and child in hospital. Daly has been able to extend their stay at their Airbnb accommodation because the booking after them cancelled.

She is appealing to the UK embassy in Lima and the Irish embassy in Santiago for help, as well as contacting her MP, Catherine West.

West said: “It’s vital that the Foreign Office do all that they can to bring home stranded British nationals, and Caia’s case seems one of the most urgent. I’ll be raising this with the foreign secretary as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, the family is hoping Air France will lay on more flights, or that the government will intervene. “We’re just really looking for a way to get out,” Daly added.

The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, earlier admitted it is “very difficult” for people to get out of some destinations and warned there are nearly one million British nationals currently travelling abroad.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “The UK is engaging with a number of international partners and commercial airlines to see how we can help Britons still in Peru best return to the UK. We are working intensively to help all those who wish to leave and actively exploring what further flight options can be made available.”