The UK Ambassador to Peru has been slammed for ‘abandoning’ Britons, after flying home while 11 people are still stuck in the South American country under military lockdown.
The group was left in tears after being told at the last minute that they would not be able to board a repatriation flight on Wednesday.
The Britons – half of whom have tested positive for Covid-19 – say they were abandoned at their hotel.
And they were shocked to find out the UK ambassador Kate Harrisson had flown home, despite their terrifying situation.
The UK Ambassador to Peru, Kate Harrisson (pictured), has been slammed for ‘abandoning’ Britons, after flying home while 11 people are still stuck in the South American country under military lockdown
Kate Harrison tweeted: ‘I will be working from the UK over the next few weeks in order to spend time with my three young children’
Ms Harrison tweeted: ‘I will be working from the UK over the next few weeks in order to spend time with my three young children.
‘The Embassy’s full consular team remains in place and will be led temporarily by Andrew Soper an experienced Ambassadorial level diplomat who arrived in Peru on Tuesday.
‘Specialist UK Government support teams have travelled to and from Peru to assist with the repatriation effort over the last three weeks.
‘The last of these travelled back to the UK on yesterday’s BA plane to support repatriations of British Nationals elsewhere in the world.’
But the 11 Britons trapped in the city of Cusco, in the Peruvian Andes near Machu Picchu, say they feel abandoned by Ms Harrison.
The group, which includes Chris Ramsay (pictured) – one of those who has tested positive for COVID-19 – was left in tears after being told at the last minute they would not be able to board a repatriation flight on Wednesday
Mr Ramsay said: ‘Surely the UK ambassador could do five more days work, before spending time with her family.’ Pictured: Pariwana Hostel, in Cusco, Peru, which Mr Ramsay is staying in at the
They’ve watched dozens of people fly home with no idea when they’ll be able to leave.
‘I’m scared,’ said Chris Ramsay, who has tested positive for Covid-19.
‘There’s five days until Peru stops allowing repatriation flights.
‘Surely the UK ambassador could do five more days work, before spending time with her family.
‘I don’t care if she’s working from the UK.
‘I feel completely abandoned by the embassy and the Foreign Office.
‘Not only have they left us here, after they flew home, they left us in the hotel lobby with nowhere to stay that night.
‘They’ve botched this whole situation from the start.
‘While some people have been able to get out, we’ve been left here to contract coronavirus.
‘I’ve got no faith that they will get us home in the next five days.
‘We’ve had poor communication the whole time.
‘The Dutch consulate has done more and showed more compassion in five minutes than the embassy has done in a month.’
Mr Ramsay, of Salisbury, Wiltshire, explained a Dutch official took pity on the group when he saw them crying in their hotel lobby.
Picture of the £96 a night hotel room Mr Ramsay has been forced to pay for after the government backtracked, refusing them from a repatriation flight on Wednesday
He helped them reach a cheaper hotel, where they were allowed to leave their rooms and go into a courtyard.
Mr Ramsay, a former research engineer for Range Rover, had been travelling around South America since the start of the year.
He arrived in Cusco in early March, but was left trapped when the Peruvian president announced the borders were closing with just 24 hours notice.
The 29-year-old has now spent 33 days in lockdown in Peru.
The Britons are threatened with up to 10 years in prison if they leave their accommodation, so for much of it he has been unable to leave a cramped hotel room for 24 hours a day.
‘Taking that first step outside, after a week locked up, even just to get in a car to the new hotel was just an absolute relief,’ he said.
Picture of the Pariwana Hostel Courtyard where Chris was forced to stay after being ‘abandoned’ by the British Government
‘A bit of fresh air and some sunlight.’
Mr Ramsay also blasted the embassy for leaving them in a hostel where people had tested positive for Covid-19.
It was first revealed in late March that two travellers had contracted the virus at the Pariwana Hostel.
The group were kept there for a further two and a half weeks, before moving.
‘That was one of the first of many points we were completely abandoned by the embassy,’ Mr Ramsay said.
‘That was an environment which was prime for a virus to spread.
‘Had they gotten us out of there sooner we might not have got Covid-19.’
Now half of the group have tested positive, which is one of the reasons they’ve been stopped from flying home.
Mr Ramsay claims the embassy backtracked after offering to pay for the £96-a-night hotel room, leaving his group with a massive bill.
Mr Ramsay said he’s spent £1,100 on accommodation and food during lockdown and is fast running out of money to feed himself
He said he’s spent £1,100 on accommodation and food during lockdown and is fast running out of money.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that, unfortunately, a dozen passengers were refused access to the military flight from Cusco to Lima that was due to join up with the flight to London.
‘The Peruvian authorities denied them boarding following health screening.
‘We recognise this is deeply disappointing for these passengers and a worrying time.
‘We will continue to do all we can to support them and other British nationals who remain in Peru.’
The spokesman said Ms Harrisson had returned home to her family after four weeks of working hard getting Brits home.