Express & Star

Family make Government plea to bring Black Country cruise ship couple home

The family of a Black Country couple left trapped on a cruise ship due to coronavirus have urged the Government to step in.

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Phil and Judy Dowell face-time their family

Phil and Judy Dowell, from Willenhall, have been on-board the Coral Princess since March 5 – with their trip supposed to end on March 18 in Argentina.

The couple, both aged 68, have tried unsuccessfully to leave the ship at Rio de Janeiro – where they had flights booked – but were unable to leave, due to Covid-19 fears.

Now their family have urged Government officials to "bring them home" – with around 400 British people stuck on the vessel.

It comes after the Foreign Office urged all UK holdaygoers to return home amid the spread of Covid-19.

Lauren Lucas, their granddaughter, said her grandparents had become increasingly stressed over the situation.

Phil and Judy Dowell on the cruise off the coast of Rio

She said: "They're at their wits end and every time they want to get home they just can't.

"The only way to get them home is Government help – if they make it to Florida they have no insurance and no visas.

"They are going to dock at Barbados and they're hoping to get back home – there's about 300 British people on-board.

"Everyone has been cleared of coronavirus – they've all been tested so there's no cases on the ship, but they're not letting people off.

"It was a standard 14 day trip but they've docked here, there and everywhere and have tried to get off.

"We just really want them to come home."

The couple are set to arrive at Barbados on April 2 where they're hoping to get a flight back to the UK.

If that fails, they will arrive at Fort Lauderdale in America on April 5 – a month after they first started their trip.

They will be forced to undergo a 14-day quarantine when they arrive in the USA.

Both Phil and Judy were due to get off originally at The Falklands but were unable to.

Further attempts were made at Buenos Aires and later at Rio de Janeiro – where they had last minute flights booked, but were unable to leave the ship.

Louise, from Essington, said: "They did get off in Rio where they had a flight booked back to the UK – everything was all booked, it was a last minute thing.

"But they were told again they couldn't get off."

The couple went on the cruise ship when there were hardly any cases in the UK – when the outbreak was still contained in China.

"We just don't want them to get to the USA and be quarantined there – they're elderly and this whole think is affecting their mental health, because it's all upsetting for them," the 20-year-old said.

"We're worried now but we were fine before – it was just like 'we've got to get along with it' because they had their Rio flights back home.

"But that didn't happen and now we really need the Government to step in and bring them home.

"The Government is saying come home and they're stuck.

"We're doing everything we can and it's been really stressful.

"We call them every day – my aunt contacts them all the time."

The travel company, Imagine Cruising, have been "incredible" throughout the process.

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