No end to holiday horror

Family trapped in Philippines amid corona travel clamps

A HOBART family’s threeweek holiday in the Philippines has become a threemonth ordeal thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brett Riseley travelled to the country on March 11 with his wife Imelda and their three-year-old son Tasman to visit Imelda’s family.

They had planned to stay for a few weeks but due to COVID-19 restrictions they remain stuck in Aparri, almost 600km from Manila.

Mr Riseley’s daughter Peta Nikel said the family was desperate to return to Tasmania.

The travellers had booked flights back to Tasmania in early June and early July but both had been cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions.

They have now secured a flight for July 4 back to Sydney, but do not want to get their hopes up in case the flights are cancelled or the Philippines’ travel ban is extended.

Limits on travel within the country prevented the group from travelling to Manila to access repatriation flights — and to pass through checkpoints travellers need a flight itinerary and a letter from their embassy.

More than 29,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the Philippines and 1150 people have died from the virus.

Mrs Nikel said her father was concerned about dangers associated with travelling and the risk of contracting coronavirus.

Mr Riseley was using annual and long service leave to fund the family’s accommodation and food costs, she said.

“My dad has always been a taxpaying citizen who looks after his family financially and it frustrates me that the Government is not doing more to help him to return home,’’ she said.

“I am worried about the safety of all three of them in the Philippines as well as the strict laws they face when attempting to travel during a pandemic, especially as my dad is aged over 50 and of Aboriginal descent. He is also unwell with an infected spider bite.”

Mrs Nikel said the family had contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and the State Government to seek support to secure a path home.

“We need to support our own people a little bit more with helping Australians to get back home when they are stranded in a foreign country.”

Clark independent MP Madeleine Ogilvie said the impacts of the pandemic were very real for many people, with many still stuck overseas.

There needed to be an agreed plan for returning Tasmanians home, she said.

A State Government spokeswoman said Premier Peter Gutwein would write to Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne to seek support for Mr Riseley’s return to Australia.

The spokeswoman said any Australians overseas needing assistance should contact the Australian embassy.