Peru - Stranded Travellers
Travellers accuse governments of abandonment abroad
Hundreds of Australians are trapped in Peru as borders shut after strict new coronavirus measures. With affordable flights out of the question, travellers are at the mercy of a new military lockdown.
"There really is no place like home", says one Australian traveller, scrambling to jet off out of Peru's lockdown. Along the route to the famous Machu Picchu ruins, the mountain villages have fallen silent under a tough new curfew from 8pm to 5am. One backpacker is trapped outside of the capital, Lima: "What are we expected to do? Wait it out? Catch a private charter? What if we don't have the money for that?". While other countries repatriate citizens, a charter flight back to Australia costs at least $5,000 per person. One Sydney native hopes his government will step in. "There are currently no commercial options out of Peru. That puts us in a precarious situation where international borders are closing around us."
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