Maltese Woman Stranded In Mexico Due To Travel Restrictions: ‘I Can Go Practically Everywhere Except Home’
A Maltese woman who lives in Mexico has expressed her frustration and disappointment at Malta’s rigid travel restrictions which have left her unable to return home and be with her loved ones.
Rebecca Camilleri is one of the many readers who have gotten in touch with Lovin Malta over the past weeks after encountering difficulties getting to Malta as a result of what they say is the Maltese government’s lack of flexibility and willingness to help out individual cases.
“I’m in this ridiculous situation in which I am free to go anywhere – Spain, Guatemala, the US, Finland – but I’m not allowed to return home,” Camilleri told Lovin Malta.
She explained that he has been living in Mexico for four years and normally visits Malta every year in order to see her parents, however, since the start of COVID-19 this has not been possible.
With restrictions being eased across the globe Camilleri was planning to visit her parents this summer. Her trip was also timed for her to be able to attend a family wedding.
Camilleri told Lovin Malta how her only option for travelling to Malta was for her to quarantine for two weeks at a hotel upon arrival, something she cannot afford to do.
Asked whether she had gotten vaccinated, Camilleri said that she hadn’t, partly because the vaccine administered in Mexico is not recognised by Malta, meaning she would still not have been able to enter the country even if she had been vaccinated.
Camilleri said she had filled in an online application form asking for special permission to quarantine at a private residence, rather than a hotel.
“The initial response was a standard one saying that that is the rule,” Camilleri told Lovin Malta. “Then I replied and explained to them that I had made arrangements and that my sister would be moving out of her apartment for me to be able to quarantine alone.”
Despite her explanation, Camilleri said the response was always in the negative, begging the question, what circumstances would qualify a person for special permission.
Having been refused permission once again, Camilleri said she provided health authorities with a letter from her therapist recommending that she not stay at a hotel while quarantining.
Camilleri said she had also considered getting vaccinated in another country, like the US, though this, she said, still involved considerable expenses and logistical difficulties.
She said that while she understood the need for measures to be put into place, she couldn’t help but feel that authorities weren’t interested in hearing about her situation and trying to find a solution.
“Despite the fact that there are these contact emails it feels like they don’t really consider any case and simply offer generic replies,” Camilleri said.
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