'They won’t let foreigners leave': Arizona family stuck, trying to get home from Morocco
More than 5,700 miles away from their home in Phoenix, in a guesthouse lodging in Marrakesh, Morocco, Gabrielle Almeter and her parents wait to learn how they will get home.
Like many Americans traveling abroad when countries around the world suddenly closed borders and airlines canceled flights, they're caught in the fallout of trying to halt the spread of the new coronavirus.
The family left Phoenix on March 9 to tour Morocco with a brief stop in Europe, reports The Arizona Republic, which is part of the Paste BN Network. After they arrived in London to connect to Morocco, President Trump announced travel restrictions from the Schengen area of the European Union. As American citizens connecting in London to Morocco, the declaration didn't apply to them, so they continued their journey to Casablanca.
Then, things changed fast.
"We as a family were just surprised at how quickly everything has shifted in the past few days," Almeter told The Arizona Republic by email.
First, their tour company canceled their tour. Making the best of the situation, the family decided to keep traveling on to Marrakesh.
Then the Moroccan government said it would close its borders and cancel international flights. That left the Almeters unsure if their flight back to the United Kingdom would depart. They also received notice that their flight from London to Phoenix was canceled.
"We understand that the (Moroccan) government would want to suspend flights to Morocco to prevent the spread of the coronavirus; however, we don’t understand why they won’t let foreigners leave," Almeter wrote.
Will State Department repatriate U.S. citizens?
Almeter said she can't get through to the U.S. Embassy in Morocco or to EasyJet, the airline they were flying back to Europe, to find out what happens next.
"Countries such as France and the Netherlands have been in contact with the Moroccan government to arrange flights to repatriate their citizens, however the U.S. government has not done anything so far," Almeter wrote.
They are not the only American family stuck abroad in this situation. A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) says Sinema's office has heard from Arizonans around the world who are concerned about how to get home.
The spokeswoman told The Republic that Sinema's office is "communicating with the State Department to ensure that Arizonans can safely return home."
The State Department did not immediately respond to inquiries asking if the U.S. government was considering repatriation flights.
What Americans abroad should do
Until a repatriation solution is found, Americans who need help getting home should do the following:
- Contact their senator or representative to advocate on their behalf.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in the country where they are located and sign up online for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program to get advisories and let the embassy know their location.
- Learn what the State Department can and can't do during a crisis abroad. For instance, if the State Department arranges a repatriation flight, travelers are responsible for repaying the fare.
- Check with their travel insurance or credit card insurance policies to see what may be covered in terms of emergency evacuation.
For the Almeters, as flights on EasyJet continue to be canceled, they are nervously watching to see if theirs to the U.K. is next. It's scheduled for March 18. They plan to show up for their flight, unsure if it will actually board and prepared that they may have to extend their time in Morocco.
"The riad, Les Trois Palmiers el Bacha, has been very accommodating, and we will be safe staying here in the coming weeks if we need to," Almeter wrote.
You can connect with Arizona Republic consumer travel reporter Melissa Yeager at melissa.yeager@azcentral.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram.