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Some 350 Irish residents were repatriated by flights from the UK on Tuesday, two days after a travel ban went into effect to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus mutation.
Among them was Sherron St Clair, who had buried her son. Her son Ysra (28) died recently and she had been in London for his funeral.
“I buried my son on December 21,” he said, after arriving at Terminal 1 on a Ryanair repatriation flight. “He lived in London, so we went to bury him. We are coming back. It’s so good to be home. “
She was returning to Greystones, Co Wicklow, to quarantine her.
Mick Morrissey of Kilmeaden, Co Waterford, at Dublin Airport upon his return. Photography: Nick Bradshaw
Mick Morrissey from Kilmeaden, Co Waterford, was also in London for a funeral. “I flew in on Saturday and the funeral was yesterday. There were no flights, so a Waterford TD brought us here on the repatriation flight. “
Morrissey said his car was at the airport and that he would be driving home to Waterford for the Christmas period. “It’s great to be back. Even though I have family in London, this is my home. “
Some 1,000 people contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs helpline set up to help those stranded in the UK since Monday. Two flights were organized for Tuesday, one landed after 7 pm and another was to take place after 9 pm
Saphron Werfelli went to London to visit her brother with her mother Caroline and her son Alex (7).
“We went with the best of intentions for Christmas, with the intention of staying four or five days. But we had a great shock when everything was canceled, ”said Werfelli. “It’s a disaster so close to Christmas. My seven-year-old was with us, so we didn’t know if Santa would know where we were. We tried to arrange contact with the elves to make sure they knew where to bring the gifts. “
Waiting at home
Ms. Werfelli’s fiancee, father and sister were waiting at their home in Limerick and would have been “heartbroken” if the family had not returned home.
“We were hoping to go home tomorrow, but the Department of Foreign Relations said that our flights would not be guaranteed. The manager was a little messy because we weren’t on the official list, but we did all the paperwork and stayed up for 24 hours to sort it out. “
She added that she and her family would organize a Covid-19 test after her trip home to Limerick, but did not specify whether they would also isolate themselves for two weeks.
Two sisters who were living in the UK to go to university returned home to visit their parents after months of separation. Their mother picked them up at the airport to take them back to Drogheda,
Tosin Darmola, who studies public health in Essex, and his sister Tobi, who studies law, said they were “concerned” about the new strain of the Covid-19 virus, but, Tobi said, “it’s still the same virus, and the same restrictions, so we will be in quarantine for two weeks. “
The initial 48-hour ban on travel to and from Britain has been extended until December 31.
Ryanair and Aer Lingus continue to work with the Department of Foreign Affairs to organize repatriation flights for Irish residents. A smaller number are staying on ferry routes.
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