A BRIGHTON couple are among hundreds of travellers stranded in South America after the country imposed a travel ban to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Stephen Atkins and Niamh Moore had their flight home from Peru cancelled suddenly earlier this week as the country announced a 15-day national emergency.

Since then, they have been confined to their hotel for days as they await answers on their future.

They are two of more than 400 Brits trapped in the country who are now pleading with the UK government to help them return home.

The 31-year-old said: “We are extremely worried as we should have been on a plane by now, but obviously that was cancelled. “The initial national emergency is for at least 15 days but we are also aware of travel bans in and out of Europe which would affect us, even if the travel ban here is lifted.

“That is not guaranteed either. There is no information coming out to reassure us that we will be allowed to leave or when, or if any support will be provided by our government, which is very unsettling.”

Stephen and Niamh had been backpacking around South America since December but decided to cut their trip short as the coronavirus climate began to escalate.

But a national emergency was put in place before they could board their flight home on Wednesday.

Since then, Stephen said everybody had been told to stay in their hotel, only leaving to go to the supermarket.

But demand for essential items had heightened, and it took them 45 minutes of queueing just to reach the store’s front door.

Stephen said: “We are worried that we may be stuck here for a very long time and we can’t live in a hotel forever.

“Obviously, we are also anxious as to what would happen if we became unwell or what we would do if there were any potential social unrest.”

They are staying at a hotel in Peru’s capital, Lima, along with hundreds of other holidaymakers hit by the sudden travel ban.

Many of those who are stranded have contacted one another and collected details of all who are stuck in Peru in a database.

There are currently details for more than 250 people, some of whom suffer from serious health conditions including heart problems and Crohn’s disease.

Briony Blackwell is one of those to be stranded who has an underlying health condition. She has lung cancer.

Briony said: “Due to the cancer, I had one lung removed and am living with one.

“Being stuck at high altitude is making breathing very difficult for me and I constantly feel like I’m fighting to breathe.

“I was never planning on being at high altitude for long, but with the lockdown in place I have no choice.”

Other stranded citizens have missed major family occasions and events as they fight to find a flight back to the UK.

One traveller, Danielle Cook, said: “I learnt my dad had died at the weekend.

“My family can’t start any funeral arrangements until we know when I will be back home.

“I was due to be travelling for three more weeks and flying out of Colombia but my partner was due to fly back to the UK from Lima.

“The embassy has come back to me and asked for some details via email but I haven’t been called.

“It’s upsetting for my family too that I am stuck in Peru in this situation.”

Many countries have acted swiftly to help citizens who have found themselves stuck in Peru.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump said the US military would be scrambled to help the 1,400 Americans stuck in the South American country.

But, in a speech on Wednesday, the UK’s foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “Given the volume - we don’t have precise numbers - but the volume of British nationals who are abroad, not permanently, not living abroad necessarily, but travelling abroad - to expect that the government can repatriate them all I think would be unrealistic.”

On Thursday, Stephen said he had been contacted by government officials who told him a charter flight had been scheduled to whisk UK and Irish citizens back to Britain today.

But they informed him this would not come cheap, with prices estimated to be between $3,000 and $3,500 dollars for a seat.

He said: “Obviously this is financially very difficult for a lot of people but many, including myself, are so desperate to return home that they are willing to pay.”

A message from the British Embassy in Lima, shared with The Argus, said the flight would leave for London today but Avianca Airlines “can only commit to this flight if there is sufficient demand”.

The flight will leave at 8am local time.