State resident stranded in Peru

Denis Semenyaka sees no end in sight.

The West Hartford resident arrived in Peru March 7, as part of a trip through South America that started in January. Semenyaka is one of the many Connecticut residents who has been stranded in Peru since the COVID-19 pandemic led the country to shut its borders.

Despite reports that some travelers are now able to get flights out of the country, Semenyaka said he’s not been able to secure one. He said flights are only going out of the Peruvian cities of Lima and Cusco. He’s in Huanchaco, 400 miles north of Lima, and restrictions have left him unable to travel without a permit.

“So far, (there is) no info from anyone on how to get this permit,” Semenyaka said in an email. “I have contacted the regional government, the embassy, US senators but still no answers on the permits to travel. It is impossible for me to contact anyone on the ground here as emails and calls with the embassy have been unsuccessful.”

The situation is not much better for Zachary McCarthy of Westport, who is in Cusco, and has been in Peru since January as part of an internship with a nonprofit organization. He said he knows the state department is randomly selecting people to put on flights every night, but he hasn’t been selected.

“It’s frustrating because some people are no-shows and apparently there have been empty spaces on every flight so far,” McCarthy said in an email.

McCarthy is trying to keep his anxiety and frustration at bay, but it gets difficult.

“The frustration comes and goes,” he said. “As I see more and more about what’s happening in the U.S. — especially the tristate area — I really want to get home so sometimes that anger is really overwhelming. Other days, you just try to settle and resign that you’re going to be here a while. My best guess (of when he would leave) would be next week but I’m trying not to mentally settle on any day with everything changing so rapidly.”