Utah couple stuck in Peru after borders close due to the Coronavirus
Mar 20, 2020, 5:35 AM | Updated: 7:54 am
A Utah couple said they have been stuck in Peru for days after the government issued a state of emergency, locking down the country for 15 days. Photo Jodi and Brad Dallof)
LIMA, Peru – Brad and Jodi Dallof always wanted to visit Machu Pichu. But now they are stuck in Peru after the country closed its borders due to the Coronavirus.
The Dallofs, who live in St. George, were caught off guard when their flights were canceled. The country had very few cases of Coronavirus before the Peruvian president closed the borders on Sunday due to a spike in infections.
After taking the train and bus back to their hotel, they say they tried to call their travel agency, but they would not pick up the phone. That’s when Brad Dallof said they went to the airport in Cusco hoping to get a flight.
“We stood in line for eight-and-a-half hours. We were finally able to get a ticket from Cusco to Lima. When we got to Lima, we were hoping to get out of the country but that, I guess, was not in the cards,” Dallof said.
The couple pleaded on social media for help, uploading Facebook videos for their friends.
Jodi Dallof says there are a lot of restrictions on where people can go. While they are safe in their hotel room, she is worried about affording a long stay.
“Our money is quickly running out because we do have to pay for our hotel and the food that we get, which is very expensive here. And we are not able to leave our hotel now to go to a grocery store like we were before,” Dallof said.
The Dallofs also reached out to lawmakers, and Congressman Chris Stewart’s office is now trying to help the couple.
President Donald Trump also signaled his support on Thursday for doing more to get hundreds of Americans who are stranded in Peru out of the country.
