Locked down in Leeds
Athree-month vacation to England turned into nearly a year-long ordeal to return home for Mountain Rise resident, Assia Deedat Mohamed.
Little did the 55-year-old know that when she travelled to Leeds late last year for the birth of her grandson, she would end up spending 11 months locked down away from home.
Mohamed arrived in Leeds on December 10, 2019, to spend the time with her daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons, and to await the arrival of her third grandchild. “I arrived in the midst of winter, ready to spend three months with my daughter and her family. I enjoyed a month and a half of holidaying before the first whispers of Covid-19 surfaced,” said Mohamed.
She travelled to London in the first week of February 2020 and visited tourist attractions. As her holiday drew to an end, the virus spread and Mohamed feared she wouldn’t be able to return to her three other children and ailing aunt back in South Africa. “We joked about Covid-19 all the time but, after being out and about, as soon as I got back to my daughter’s home, I would shower and place my clothes in the washing. The BBC always had inserts about Covid-19 which we watched avidly. The first week of March 2020, we started taking the virus seriously as it was spreading rapidly with over 100 cases and two deaths in the UK. The fear then got me in a panic,” she said.
Mohamed said she was stuck in the UK following the news of the lockdown. “By mid-March, all international non-essential travel restrictions were announced and repatriation flights were available from Heathrow at exorbitant costs but my kids didn't want me to travel. South Africa announced a level five lockdown in March and, a few days later, the UK followed suit. My heart sank. I was now officially 'stuck' in the UK. I needed to return home to my son who was home alone in Pietermaritzburg,” she said.
Her return tickets were postponed and she decided to try to enjoy her time with her grandsons. “My return tickets were postponed for a month. I decided that, although being stressed about my loved ones back home, I would enjoy my extended vacation,” Mohamed said, adding that, in the UK, they were allowed to walk and bike outdoors as long as they adhered to social distancing rules.
Her visitor visa was extended and then Mohamed received news that her elderly aunt had died. “I spent Ramadan in Leeds. My elderly aunt, whom I took care of, lost her battle with cancer in June,” she said. Mohamed admitted that she pined for home. “I missed my family and friends,” she said.
When her second daughter became engaged, Mohamed had renewed interest in returning but South Africa had travel restrictions and the UK was on the ban list. “On September 16, South Africa moved to level one, but my travel agent could not rebook my return flights from Leeds to Heathrow as internal flights were cancelled. I celebrated my birthday on October 3. I didn’t know if I would be able to travel back this year as the UK’s Covid-19 cases and deaths were on the rise again,” said Mohamed.
She managed to leave just before the UK entered its second lockdown, and before her daughter’s wedding at the end of October. “My son-in-law bought a new ticket for me. I was stressed that the second lockdown was imminent. I only knew for sure I was coming back when I checked in at the Manchester Airport,” said Mohamed.
She reached home on the evening of October 25. “It was good to be home after almost 11 months. I chose to self-isolate for a few days before I had to fly to Johannesburg to attend my baby's big day,” she said.
The UK entered its second lockdown on October 31. “I got out just in time,” said Mohamed.