A local couple who were stuck in Peru finally made it home after two and a half weeks of waiting for a flight.
Joseph Cunningham said once he and his partner Melissa Bermudez landed in Toronto they were assessed and since they were not displaying symptoms of the coronavirus they were allowed to continue to travel back to Prince George to self isolate for 14 days.
"The whole experience was super relaxed and there were a lot of Canadians excited to get back home," Cunningham said. "Leaving Cusco (Peru) was the most anxiety-ridden part of the trip. After that we knew we were good to go and we knew we were going to make it home. We knew we were going to be on soil where at least they would take care of us, where we'd be closer to family. We knew that in Canada if we needed assistance they would be able to assist us."
To prevent the potential spread of the virus while traveling, Cunningham said they practiced social distancing and made sure to clean their belongings often.
"And we washed our hands a lot," he added.
Cunningham and Bermudez were greeted at the airport - at a safe social distance - by many family members who all brought them food.
"Everybody was concerned that we weren't eating - but we were eating," Cunningham said.
There was a lot of emotion, he added.
"It was a little awkward because typically you expect when you arrive and you see family you're going to engage with them and hug them and show them affection - just to see everybody there was nice but not to show the affection towards them was a little strange but it's something we can get through," he said.
During this experience Cunningham said the seriousness of the situation was more intensely felt on foreign soil.
Forced to stay in Cusco, Peru, until they could confirm a flight back to Canada, they were often questioned by police if they ventured out for supplies.
Once the pair landed in Canada that intensity seemed to ease, he added. He said that might be because Canada is prepared and has the means to handle an influx of people who have COVID-19 while other countries do not.
"Everyone deals with it in a different way," he said.
"Right now we're staying in self isolation in my dad's gymnasium. We've got a mini fridge where we store our food and a hot plate to cook our food and a bathroom right beside us. We're just really excited to be home."
Cunningham and Bermudez want to remind everyone there are still Canadians who are abroad and want to come home.
"The one crazy part was our flights cost more than $3,000 one way," Cunningham said.
The couple had traveled extensively for about five months and the total for their flights during that entire time only came to $2,100 so they consider the cost for the flight home to be a bit extreme, he added.
