Nurses ‘could help virus fight’

Two nurses stranded in India are pleading for help after the country suspended flights due to the coronavirus crisis.

Lyn Clay, from Deal, and Pauline Reynolds, from Whitstable, left the UK for Goa on March 12 - only to discover their return flights had been cancelled. The women, who are mental health nurses at the Beacon Centre in Ramsgate, are now desperate for money and food. The current situation in India - where a lockdown is being enforced by police officers - has also left them fearing for their safety. Mother-of-three Ms Clay, 60, said: “It has taken ages to get through to the embassy or consulate and you just get stock replies back.

“On Saturday, we were finally asked to provide our details to the Foreign Office, indicating we wanted to get home urgently.” A petition urging the repatriation of UK citizens stranded in India has gained more than 40,000 signatures.

Ms Reynold’s granddaughter, Ellie Gibbard, said: “I’m honestly terrified of them being there on their own, especially with the police brutality.

“They can’t even go and get safe water for themselves without fear of being attacked. I need them home safely as soon as possible.”

Ms Reynold’s daughter, Emma, said: “Apart from our fears for the health and safety of our relatives, both Mum and Lyn could actually be helping the NHS in the coronavirus crisis here as they both work full-time.

“We need them home – and we need them home now.” A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.

“The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK.”

Emma Reynolds (left) with her mother Pauline