Every couple dreams of a romantic getaway to celebrate their newly formed union, but for one South African couple, their dream getaway quickly turned into a harrowing nightmare.
As reported by the New York Times, Olivia and Raul De Freitas are the last remaining guests at a five-star resort in the Maldives. Just married and determined to celebrate their nuptials, they arrived on Sunday, March 22, with a plan to stay for six days.
Their travel agent assured them that any coronavirus travel restrictions or policy changes would not affect their ability to return home, so they embarked on their journey towards wedded bliss.
Two days later, the couple received word that their country would be closing all airports by Thursday at midnight, but there was a problem. The trip back to Johannesburg would take a total of 17 hours, including a five-hour flight to Doha, Qarar, a three-hour layover, and then a nine-hour trek to South Africa. They’d never make it in time.
Now, the couple is stuck with nowhere to go. Resort employees cater to their every whim, yet they are also stuck, unable to leave the resort due to government regulations that say that Maldivians cannot leave resorts until after they undergo a quarantine that follows their last guests’ departure.
This is how a honeymoon goes left when you ignore a pandemic. Everyone suffers.
Read the full story at the New York Times.
