MESHOPPEN, Pa. — Just a few days ago, Corey Podminick of Meshoppen was sitting atop a mountain peak in the Peruvian Andes. Now, just outside his hotel in Lima, masked military personnel patrol the streets, enforcing a nationwide lockdown.
"Everything kind of went crazy on like Sunday night, that's when the Peruvian president mentioned closing the borders. "It was less than 24 hours' notice for like all Americans to get out, or really anyone to get out if they wanted to," Podminick said.
He and his friend were 40 miles deep in the Andes, with limited cell service, when they learned what was going on.
"Sunday night, we stayed up all night trying to find a flight. But yeah, we found out Saturday afternoon, I think, around 3 p.m. we finally hiked to a spot where we got cell phone service. Everyone in our hiking group was like freaking out."
Back home, Corey's family members are contacting members of Congress to try to get him home.
"I just don't know if all the senators and congressmen know how many actual Americans are here in Peru," he said. "There's an extreme amount of people here, much more than I thought it would be."
Everyone stuck inside Peru's borders faces a self-quarantine for 15 days, a nighttime curfew, and a lot of uncertainty.
"If I knew all this was going to happen, I never would have come here," he added.
Americans stuck in Peru have been told to monitor the website of the U.S. Embassy in Peru for updates. On that website is a health alert that instructs Americans to contact their airlines to discuss rescheduling options, and to make arrangements for lodging in Peru for the duration of the quarantine.