A British couple was forced to flee Morocco after the Moroccan government decided that it would increase Covid rates and ground their flights to and fro.
Chloe Cervone (from Whitby in Yorkshire) and Lucy Ross (from North Africa) were about to end their fortnight-long holiday to North Africa when the Moroccan Government cut off flights to Britain because of the current infection rate.
They were due to fly home on Thursday night, before the new restrictions were put in place and all flights to the UK were cancelled.
The couple is now stranded at a luxury resort in the Caribbean. However, they are unsure when they can return to the UK and may have to extend their stay.
It occurs as the UK’s infection rate reaches its highest point since July. This raises concerns about the possibility of Covid restrictions being reinstated in the winter months.
After new Covid rules made it impossible to fly back to Britain, Chloe Cervone and Lucy Ross have been left’stranded” in a luxurious all-inclusive resort.
The couple are now stuck until they get more information from the Moroccan government about whether flights to Britain are allowed. They are forced to remain inside the Hotel Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout (pictured).
Located near sandy beaches, the all-inclusive resort where the pair are trapped is described on TripAdvisor as having the ‘highest standards in terms of luxury, excellence and sophistication’, with five bars, a steakhouse and even a patisserie (pictured: Taghazout bay close to the resort)
Chloe is the owner of an ice-cream shop located in Whitby. She plans to return to the business to make more cash before the winter months.
Chloe stated, “We were supposed to fly out last evening, but the flight was canceled.”
‘We have been assured it is going to rescheduled tonight, but there’s still so much uncertainty,” said Chloe who runs Flows Flavours Ice Cream.
The couple are now stranded in Morocco until they hear from the Moroccan government about whether flights to Britain are allowed.
They are obliged to remain inside the Hotel Riu Palace Tikida Taghazout.
The resort is close to sandy beaches and boasts five bars, a restaurant, and even an ice cream shop.
Chloe admits it’s ‘gorgeous’ but they still need to figure out when their flight to Manchester will take place. They may also have to pay huge sums of money to extend their stay in Morocco.
Chloe Cervone runs an ice-cream shop in Whitby (Yorkshire), as a partner. Chloe Cervone and Lucy Ross admit that their resort is beautiful, but they don’t know when they can return to the UK. They may have to pay large sums to extend their stay.
Although Lucy and Chloe could be in worse circumstances, their story serves to remind us of the dangers of holidaying during the pandemic in a constantly changing landscape with international travel restrictions (pictured at Agadir coast in Morocco, near the resort).
“We spoke to our reps this morning but they haven’t told us what’s happening,” she said.
“They will update us at 6PM tonight in order to let us know if it is possible to go home or not, but it seems very unlikely.
“I don’t complain though, it is paradise here in an empty resort. This is exactly what the Flows Flavors Ice Cream team needed after a busy season selling ice cream in Whitby.
While they waited to find out when they could return, Chloe used the Facebook page of her firm to send a message home to let them know that things were not too bad.
She posted a picture of her sun-drenched resort with the caption: “Stuck In Paradise (What a shame).
“We were hoping that we would be back out this weekend serving up your favourite sweet treats, however, due to these unforeseen events we will have to wait to see what happens.”
Although Lucy and Chloe could be in worse circumstances, their story is not the only one of many British holidaymakers who have been left behind abroad by the constantly changing landscape regarding international travel restrictions.
Although British holidaymakers have been flocking towards tourist destinations since the rules were relaxed many other countries could follow the lead of Morocco’s.
From Wednesday 23:59 BST (British Standard Time) until further notice, all flights to Britain and Germany were suspended.
Boris Johnson has sofar echoed optimism of the Government’s scientific advisory panel, that current Covid numbers are fully in line’ with what was anticipated
The UK’s infection rates are starting to spiral out of control. Our infection rate is 45 times greater than that of Morocco, according to current figures.
To ease the NHS’s pressure, there are increasing concerns that new restrictions will be required over the winter.
On Teesside, patients are already reportedly facing seven hour A&E waits following the busiest month on record.
Boris Johnson has thus far echoed the optimism of the Government’s scientific advisory panel that the current Covid numbers are ‘fully in line’ with what was expected.
However, he acknowledged that a widespread shift to working from home and some restrictions are being ‘kept in constant review’ to prevent a spike of Covid and relieve an overloaded NHS.