Those trapped by the Covid-19 shutdown say there is no way out without a government-backed repatriation flight

This article is more than 5 months old

This article is more than 5 months old

Sydney woman Anne Dorrington is trying to put some structure into the day of guests at the Secret Garden hostel in Quito, trapped by Ecuador’s near-total lockdown to arrest the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The residents rise early for an exercise session in the makeshift gym, before breakfast together and art in the middle of the day. They do a group yoga session at two in the afternoon.

“It’s very hard mentally, it’s very hard to let go of what’s happening, there’s so much media, it’s so constant,” Dorrington tells the Guardian. “We are trying to build some structure into people’s days, something they can focus on, to get them through.”

Guests are also helping to renovate and repair the hostel in exchange for reduced rates.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A guest paints murals in the Secret Garden hostel. Photograph: Supplied

Dorrington says there are many stranded in Quito who can’t afford to book a commercial charter flight out of the country – if one is made available – and whose meagre savings are being steadily diminished under lockdown.

Ecuador’s sudden and dramatic shutdown has seen all land borders sealed and no international flights out of the country. A curfew enforced – at times violently – by the military and police is in place between 7pm and 5am, but even outside of curfew hours people are only allowed out for essential purposes, and only by themselves.

Internal travel between cities is prohibited, and some tourists, having had flights cancelled at the airport, have found themselves trapped outside Quito city, and facing roadblocks preventing them from returning.

Australians stranded in the country by the Covid-19 shutdown say there is no way out of the country without a government-backed repatriation flight.

Dorrington and her husband, Craig, have been spending up to 11 hours on the phone trying to rebook commercial flights out, only to be hung up on or for the call drop out. They say they’ve spent thousands of dollars booking flights for home they don’t believe will ever leave.

“It’s got to the stage I can’t stay online, it’s dragging me right down, all the extra money is towards getting us home.

“It’s just very demoralising … it feels like jail that we’re in. You’re just going through a nightmare.”

Australia does not have an embassy in Quito, and communication from the department of foreign affairs in Canberra has been limited. There are no firm plans for a repatriation flight to rescue stranded Australian citizens.

“We miss our children, we miss our granddaughter,” Dorrington tells the Guardian. “We want to get home. I want someone to come and get me.”

Other countries’ efforts to bring home their citizens have been obstructed. In Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, the mayor ordered the runway of the airport blocked to prevent a flight from Madrid – bearing only crew and to repatriate Spanish citizens – from landing.

Play Video 0:23 Coronavirus: Ecuador city blocks runway to Spanish repatriation flight – video

Ecuador has a strong public healthcare system, but with 981 confirmed Covid-19 cases so far – and 18 deaths – but there are concerns the number could rise exponentially and beyond manageable levels.

Dr Frances Black, also from Sydney, said it had been a “roller coaster” trying to adjust to the imposition of each new movement restriction.

“I have certainly imagined myself never leaving the place. I have been terrified as to what would happen if I got sick. It has been easy to imagine dire consequences and very frightening. In short I have been experiencing an intense grief reaction, which I have told myself I have to fast forward through in order to survive.”

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Black said she’d felt “alone and isolated” despite the love and support of her husband and son.

“I have been teary from time to time, particularly when speaking about home. The situation has not been helped by sleep deprivation, a combination of altitude but mainly fear.”

Black said the support from the Australian government had been “non-existent”.

“They speak kindly but offer no help.”

For the 300 or more Australians stranded across Peru, which has similarly closed its borders, the Australian ambassador, Diana Nelson, posted a video message from Lima, assuring citizens the government was seeking ways to get its citizens home.

Diana Nelson (@embauslima) My message to all Australians in Peru and Bolivia, and your family & friends. pic.twitter.com/XXTZohPb4z

“We understand that this is an incredibly stressful and difficult time as we deal with these unprecedented circumstances. In Canberra, the government is working around the clock to find solutions to bring you home to Australia. And here in Peru our dedicated embassy team are liaising closely with Peruvian authorities, other embassies, airlines and travel companies.”