'NOT A PRIORITY': Whitby family stranded in Ecuador during COVID-19 gets no help from feds
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A Whitby woman stranded in Ecuador while backpacking with her two teen daughters amidst COVID-19 says the Canadian government told them they were “not a priority” because the number of Canadian travellers in that country weren’t enough to warrant sending help.
Susan Parsons said she arrived in Ecuador on March 11 and a few days later the Canadian government released an advisory for travellers to get home.
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The family was due to fly back March 26 and Parsons tried booking an earlier flight with Air Canada, which was confirmed for March 23, but has since been cancelled. The earliest possible flight now is April 6, but it’s uncertain whether any airlines will fly in and out by then.
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The family is currently staying at Hostel Venus de Valdivia in the village of Yaruqui, in Quito, a two-hour walk to the airport, if they need to make it there as all the buses have shut down.
They — along with a Canadian couple they met — are distraught the Global Affairs Canada “are doing nothing” to bring them home.
“I tried to get flights to Mexico, the U.S. and even Europe in hopes of getting a connecting flight,” she told The Toronto Sun by phone on Friday.
“Everything is in lockdown and almost every flight has been cancelled. Our government has said that we are not a priority. You feel very much alone. We would like Canada to step up and find a way to get us home.”
Parsons, 52, who registered with the federal government before leaving home that she was travelling abroad, said communication with the Canadian government has been non-existent and responses to emails simply direct her to a link to the advisory not to travel.
“France and Holland have already sent in planes for their citizens and Germany sent an email to their citizens indicating that plans are underway to get them out,” she said.
“How could Canada claim to not know when these other nations did? Canada was willing to aid our citizens in China, so what about the rest of us? We need help from our government to get home, to get my children home.”
Parsons, who said she and her daughters have not experienced any COVID-19 symptoms, pointed out Ecuadoran President Lenín Moreno announced last Monday that people were not allowed to enter the country, including their own citizens.
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As of Friday morning, Ecuador had 367 confirmed coronavirus cases, 582 suspected cases and five deaths.
“We’re currently in discussion with some airlines to have Canadians stranded abroad come home,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a press conference Friday, without revealing further details.
He has previous said there are roughly three million Canadians working and living abroad at any given time and that many of them will be stranded with border closings and airplanes being grounded.
A spokesman from Global Affairs Canada did not respond by deadline.
According to media reports, Global Affairs Canada said it has received over 4,400 calls and more than 5,500 emails related to COVID-19.
Canadians in need of emergency consular assistance from anywhere in the world can call the 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa at 613-996-8885 or email sos@international.gc.ca, according to the agency.
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