WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. — More than 2,000 Americans are stuck in Peru, after the South American country closed it borders March 15 and reportedly ended all flights out of the country March 21.
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That's left many Floridian families stranded, including the LeBlanc family from Winter Springs.
Darcy LeBlanc says the U.S. Embassy didn’t provide her any prior notice that the Peruvian government was going to close its borders for 15 days due to the global spread of the coronavirus.
The family was getting to know indigenous communities living near Cusco, Peru when they got the news.
"At first it was just disbelief,” LeBlanc said.
Her family of four has been in Peru since Friday, March 13.
"When we left, we actually thought it was safer to come here than it was to stay in the U.S. at the time. I had no reservation about coming; there was no warning about travel," LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc called it chaos in the Cusco airport.
“Cusco was just massive frenzy crowded, you could barely walk through without touching somebody," LeBlanc said.
The family got to Lima but had no luck getting a flight to the U.S. They did luck out in finding a Hilton hotel. They rescheduled their return flight to Miami for March 31.
But with so much unknown, the family hopes the U.S. government can get them out sooner.
"This is a country that could change any minute. The president could say we’re going to extend it for another 30 days, and we don’t want to be stuck here for that long," LeBlanc said.
The family said they can only leave their hotel to go to the grocery store or pharmacy. There's a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Police are enforcing the lockdown order. Their hotel does have a restaurant, so they’re able to eat, and they have wifi.
LeBlanc said she reached out to Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott but hadn’t heard back about a flight to come get them.
Rubio’s office said it's aware there are Americans, including Florida residents, who are stuck abroad, and its constituent services team is actively working on the issue.
"Our nation faces unprecedented challenges, including the repatriation of American citizens stuck abroad. Our constituent services team is tracking numerous cases in approximately a dozen different countries, and remains in daily contact with the State Department and relevant embassies and consulates," Rubio's office said in a statement.
Rubio’s staff added there is a global task force to bring citizens stuck abroad back to the U.S. The Repatriation Task Force is charged with coordinating and providing support for private American citizens stranded overseas, managing requests from posts facing severe travel restrictions requesting transportation assistance, and supporting evacuation operations of official or private American citizens involving charter or non-commercial means.
Scott tweeted March 19 that his office is in contact with the State Department and U.S. embassies and working on a solution to ensure that Floridians in Honduras and Peru can get home. He said the State Department is working with airlines and asked for patience.