Since spending 110 days staying at an airport in the Philippines due to the coronavirus pandemic, a tourist, Roman Trofimov, is desperately in need of rescue.
According to Trofimov, who resides in Estonia, he landed in Manila airport from Bangkok on March 20, but was denied access to the country as entry visas were no longer being issued for arrivals due to Covid-19.
Trofimov, who is heading an onward flight to Cebu , Philippines, said he’d booked for the same day he landed in Manila and an April 2 return flight to Bangkok. All were cancelled because of pandemic coronavirus.
His passport was then taken away from him, he claims, before he met immigration workers. The airline with which he had traveled to the Philippines, AirAsia, was then unable to return him to Thailand, as he was told that he would have to wait until Enhanced Community Quarantine was finished until he was allowed to return.
The lockdown, imposed on March 16 by the Philippine government, restricts all travel to anyone not being a diplomat, medical or humanitarian worker.
Mr. Trofimov, has been staying in the hotel room at the airport departures and living on staff donated food and snacks, and has compared his condition to a prisoner.
According to him he has repeatedly asked his embassy for help but they were unable to organise a repatriation flight.
He said: ‘My health is getting worse because of malnutrition, lack of sun, and fresh air. I have no other choice, but to go public please share with news agencies.’
Mr Trofimov told Estonian broadcaster ERR that he can only be ‘taken back by the airline’ which brought him to Manila.
He said: ‘They took my passport and will give it back only when I fly to Estonia. But they don’t fly to Estonia, they don’t fly anywhere currently. I am told to wait all the time until flights are restarted. ‘I was offered an opportunity via Turkish Airlines, but they also don’t fly currently. So I am waiting, the departure date has been delayed four times now. They are extending the emergency situation here, the country is still closed.’
‘My health is getting worse because of malnutrition, lack of sun, and fresh air. I have no other choice, but to go public please share with news agencies.’
