A honeymooning South African couple was stranded for two weeks at a luxury hotel in the Maldives, where they were originally scheduled to stay for six days. Olivia and Raul De Freitas arrived on March 22 at Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives, a five-star establishment where they were spending their honeymoon. But the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted their honeymoon and the lives of staff, the New York Times said .
Faced with the global health crisis, the 28-year-old butcher and the 27-year-old teacher had nevertheless hesitated to leave, before being reassured by their travel agency. The newlyweds however learned on March 25 that all of South Africa's airports closed the next day. Impossible for them to return to their country in time.
Not this repatriation possible for the moment
Little by little, all the tourists have left the hotel, whose cheapest rooms cost around 700 euros per night. The two South Africans quickly became the only vacationers at the establishment. The employees also stayed since local rules require them to quarantine after the departure of the last customers. They were very caring for their two residents, who feared that all their savings would be used to pay for their stay.
The only solution offered to the couple by the South African embassy was to charter a private jet for more than 96,000 euros. The costs were to be shared with other South Africans trapped in the Maldives. However, this exorbitantly costly operation was not authorized by the Maldives anyway.
The newlyweds were finally reunited with twenty of their compatriots in another hotel, this Sunday, without knowing when they can return to their country. The Maldivian authorities have nevertheless announced that they will cover a large part of their costs.
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