It wasn’t the month-long Asian cruise Marilyn and Tom Schuck were expecting, but they are now home and can only wait for their isolation period to end.
The Weyburn, Sask., couple was set to board a pair of cruises last month, but when they landed in China to start their second leg, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus — now known as COVID-19 — prevented them from docking in all but one port.
They said the crew tried to change routes on the fly but were refused entry at all potential destinations.
It was two weeks after the stop in Hong Kong where the Westerdam cruise ship was able to port in Cambodia.
They cleared all medical protocols and were able to fly home via Seoul, South Korea, on Feb. 16.
“They did give us a sheet of paper in Toronto. It essentially said avoid public crowded places and spaces where you can’t easily separate yourself from others. That’s not hard to do in Weyburn. We don’t have any crowded spaces,” Tom Schuck said.
The couple has been asked to self-isolate for a two-week span despite showing no signs of having the virus.
There has yet to be a single case of coronavirus found in the province.
Weyburn is approximately 105 kilometres south of Regina.