Coronavirus: SoCal travelers stuck in Peru after country closes borders

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the lives of Americans, hundreds are trapped oversees with no way to get home.

In Peru, some Southern California travelers are in limbo after the country closed its borders.

"We were told once we got there, by locals, by taxi drivers, that we only had a day to get out of Peru before all the flights were shut down," said Sean Stewart of Pasadena.

It's the same story for many more Americans, who find themselves stuck, with no help in sight.

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So far, U.S. embassies in many places around the world, have not been able to answer the question of what to do.

Deborah Villegas of Riverside said her daughter Alexx Zoobie went to Peru in January for yoga training and to see the sights. They never expected what is happening.

"It's been a rollercoaster ride because we thought our government would have helped, or at least given us some leeway," Villegas said. "Unfortunately, she's had really good moments, and really bad moments."

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"We don't have access to prepared or cooked food in this time because everything is shut down, so that's one struggle," Zoobie said.

And for some, finding a hotel room is only one problem. They're under curfew.

"If you're out on the streets, you get arrested and taken to jail," said Alexandra Rodriguez of Los Angeles. "So now we have to make sure that there's snacks for when we get hungry after 6 o'clock."

Congresswoman Maxine Waters has contacted the U.S. State Department to find out what is the plan to bring back the stranded Americans.