Barbara Land was working in a remote community in the Amazon rainforest when President Martin Vizcarra shut down the country, prohibiting travel into or out of Peru and leaving her and a team of volunteers isolated for weeks. 

As the executive director of the Nevada Building Hope Foundation, Land travels to Peru up to three times a year for humanitarian and research projects. Recently, the foundation built a high school in Ayacucho, a city just outside the Amazon rainforest, and Land’s trip in March was a follow-up to ensure the children had uniforms and the teachers were set with supplies. 

As the weeks went by without an easing of travel restrictions, Land and other volunteers wanted to find a way home. They contacted the offices of Sen. Cortez Masto, Sen. Jacky Rosen and Rep. Mark Amodei, which then connected with the U.S. Embassy in Peru. 

The first time Land and her team attempted to leave the remote community, Ayacucho Mayor Tony Arevelo ordered their boat turn around, citing the lockdown. Eventually, with the additional help and advocacy of local lodge owners, Land and the volunteers were granted permission to leave. 

“We got the message, ‘come on,’ and the minister of tourism himself was standing on the riverbank with masks, with sanitizers, with an entire string of military and even the lieutenant of the national police, because you're not allowed on the road,” she said. “The military is there with their big guns, and we got a full police escort from the riverbank all the way to Iquito City.” 

From Iquito City, Land was flown to Lima in a small propeller plane to an air force base in Lima, where she waited in a hangar for five hours for a repatriation flight to an Air Force base near Dallas, Texas. The next stop was Washington, D.C., then South Carolina, then Phoenix and finally, back home to Reno, about a month after she landed in Peru.

Land was relieved to make it home after the ordeal, but it came at a price. 

After her flight home was canceled, LATAM Airlines charged her $1,200 for a new ticket. Land said that amount was refunded to her this week, but she still owes $3,000 to the U.S. government for the domestic flights she took before arriving in Reno. 

Additionally, Land worries about flights for June and October that she’s already paid for amid rumors that President Vizcarro will close Peru’s borders until 2021. 

The extra costs are a burden for Land, a small business owner who's been affected by the business closures because of the pandemic. 

Relief for Americans sent home

Land is among thousands of Americans who were stranded in foreign countries amid the initial days of the coronavirus outbreak in March. Many whose flights were canceled or delayed had to pay extra fees for new flights back home, resulting in unexpected charges of thousands of dollars per person. 

In response, Cortez Masto has co-sponsored the Repatriation Reimbursement Act which would require airlines to reimburse those affected for the additional fees and have the State Department waive government fees. The bill is expected to be formally introduced next week when the Senate returns to session. 

“For many, getting home meant thousands of dollars in unanticipated expenses incurred through no fault of their own,” Cortez Masto said in a press release about the proposed bill. “We need to ensure airlines reimburse them for cancelled flights and honor original ticket prices and that the State Department waives fees so that being evacuated does not break the bank.”

Land said she hasn’t heard any news of travel refunds, but welcomes the idea. 

“It would be a great help if the government says, ‘Let's help these poor people that were down there,’ especially those who were down there working,” she said.

In addition to the proposed bill, several online petitions have been gathering thousands of signatures calling for the federal government to reimburse travelers for the unexpected expenses. 

According to the U.S. Department of State’s website, the department does not provide refunds for repatriation flights or hotel stays and suggests individuals “contact the service provider directly.” 

When boarding government-chartered travel, travelers must sign promissory notes, enabling the government to keep track of who boarded which flights or buses and how much they owe. The bill is based on the cost of a full-fare economy flight or other comparable transportation and must be repaid in 90 days, otherwise the government can extract those funds from the individual’s tax returns or Social Security accounts. 

LATAM Airlines, which helped Land get back home, offers travel vouchers instead of refunds for canceled or rescheduled flights caused by the pandemic. That approach has its critics because it prevents the use of the funds for other expenses for people who may not plan on traveling, or cannot because of border closures and the ongoing public health crisis. 

The U.S. Embassy in Peru also suggests stranded travelers turn to commercial airlines for assistance in getting home quickly and notes the increase in ticket prices amid the pandemic. 

“Airline ticket prices are commercial decisions that factor in the costs associated with operating non-standard flights without the infrastructure and support of an open commercial airport,” the website for the U.S. Embassy in Peru states. “The cost of these flights are generally higher than the pre-COVID-19 market prices.” 

As for now, Land anxiously awaits the news of the reopening of Peru’s border to resume her humanitarian work. She’s also monitoring the condition of a Nevada Building Hope Foundation representative currently in Peru who is exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus. 

There have been 1,051 deaths from the coronavirus in Peru, a country of 32 million people.

“I told him I was getting on a canoe and I am heading to Peru!” Land quipped.