Uncertainty is reality for Ohio couple stuck in Ireland
As more and more cities, states and countries lock down or at least try to limit travel and socialization during the global COVID-19 crisis, there are plenty of folks who are just trying to get back home.
Highland Square residents Cameron Mitchell, 28, and AJ Ball, 21, have been on what began as a vacation in Ireland. Ball bought the tickets for the six- day St. Patrick’s Day-encompassing trip as a Christmas present.
However, when they landed in Dublin on March 12, the country was ramping up social-distancing and containment efforts — a difference Mitchell noticed between the American and Dublin airports, which Mitchell described as a “ghost town,”
“When we first landed in Dublin, they had signs up everywhere: ‘Hey this virus is happening, make sure you take precautions’ ‘Don’t touch anything you don’t have to.’ ‘Sneeze into your shoulder or use a tissue.’
“Those were things we didn’t see when were leaving the States,” Mitchell said during a Face-time interview Monday from the Airbnb in Doolan, Ireland where he and Ball were self-isolating until heading back to Dublin.
“When we got there the first day, things were cool. Word was getting out that the government was considering a shutdown of pubs and everything,” he said. “Some stuff closed early, but for the most part it was regular.”
Things got more serious March 13 and 14.
“(On) Friday and Saturday, you started seeing people freaked out. You’d go to the grocery store and all the toilet paper was gone, eggs were gone and now, Monday, everything is actually closed,” Mitchell said.
The couple got a bit of sightseeing done, but for the past few days, they have taken the government’s advice and primarily kept to themselves in part because very few places are still open. Plus, before they can make their scheduled Wednesday flight back to Cleveland via Newark, New Jersey, they will have to drive four hours across Ireland and spend a night in another Airbnb.
He and Ball initially were confused about the extent of the recently announced travel ban. They were also anxious and angry that the U.S. didn’t react to the COVID-19 threat with more alacrity.