Locally-based woman unable to return to Gibraltar after attending mother’s funeral

A Gibraltar-based woman who travelled to Philippines for her mother’s funeral has been unable to return to the Rock because of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

Lucy Kellner left Gibraltar at the end of February, but because of a complete lockdown in Manila, she has been unable to fly back.

Her husband, Perry Kellner, told the Chronicle the couple had already planned to fly to Manila for her son’s graduation last month.

Mrs Kellner went ahead for the funeral and he was due to follow but after the outbreak he was left with no choice but to cancel his flight.

He is concerned about the delays in her returning to the Rock and worried for her health after having recovered from cancer.

At present, just over 2,600 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Philippines, meanwhile the death toll is just over 100.

Mrs Kellner’s family live in a southern island called Negros, in a city called Dumaguete.

“No matter how hard I tried, I could not get to our home there as [the] Philippines went into full lockdown in Manila, so I could fly in but could not get out of Manila to get to my wife’s home island,” Mr Kellner said.

“I ended up having to cancel my flight and spend my holiday stuck in the house here in Gibraltar and hoping for the lockdown to be lifted to bring Lucy home.”

He is now hoping for the situation to clear in the country, but is concerned that the spread of the virus in Europe may have an impact on her journey back to Gibraltar.

Although Mrs Kellner is booked for the end of this month, if these lockdowns continue she might be away for another month or two before returning to the Rock.

The journey from Gibraltar to Negros takes anything between 25 and 30 hours one way.

Mr Kellner is hoping that his wife will return by mid-April, but he said he highly doubts that, adding that she is desperate to come home to Gibraltar.

“Lucy is a very strong independent woman and is coping as best as she can,” Mr Kellner said.

“We rely on video calls and it is difficult because I know she wants me there with her but it is just not possible.”

“These are difficult times for everyone.”

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