CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Gaston County nurse went to Peru on an on a mission trip and now she is stuck there due to the growing spread of the coronavirus.
People across the world are stuck with no way to get home. There are more than 1,000 Americans stuck in Peru right now, trying to find a way back to the U.S. after the president there declared a national state of emergency, swiftly closing the borders before many could make it out.
Thousands of miles away from home in Cusco, Peru, Kimberly Neal is on lockdown because of COVID-19. Her family now enlisting the help of local representatives to try and bring her home.
“There is mandated curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. There is no one allowed on the streets at that time. You're only allowed out of your houses or Air BNB to get food or medication,” Neal told WCNC Charlotte over FaceTime.
She said it's become a ghost town.
“We have a birds-eye view of the city. There’s no cars, there’s no people, it’s very bone-chilling to see a city that was so vibrant a few days before have nothing going on,” Neal said.
As a nurse, she went on a mission trip with Hearts of Hope based out of California. They saved the lives of 21 kids who needed heart surgery.
But now that the work is done, she'd rather be home.
“As a nurse I'd love to be able to get back to be able to use my resources to help the people there. And also, I do want to get back to my family, it's been a little stressful,” said Neal.
She's not alone, there’s a Facebook group with hundreds of Americans who said they’re in the same situation, sharing their stories and talking about working with the state department to find a way out.
Kimberly’s dad Steven Neal is doing the best he can from Gaston County, in touch with local legislators.
“They are in contact with the State Department, it's moving slowly but from everything we're seeing it's moving forward, we just don't have a time table,” said Steven.
Despite being thousands of miles from home, Kimberly said she is in a safe location and doesn't regret going on that medical mission trip because of how many children they helped.