Oregon women stranded in Morocco after country closes its borders without warning

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    PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country of Morocco recently closed its borders with no grace period or warning to allow travelers to return home, leaving 10 women from Oregon stranded with no way home.

Every couple of years a group of ten Oregon women goes on a travel adventure. This year took them to Morocco, and now they can’t get home.

The group were in a remote village with no sign and no word of trouble until about four days ago when they arrived at their hotel in Marrakesh.

They are now the only ones in the hotel and it is closing tomorrow.

By Saturday, the group will lose their tour guide who is also their interpreter and transportation.

“All of our flights have been canceled. Commercial flights are canceled. Morocco is on lockdown for international in and out. The country is now on lockdown,” said Sandy Cahill. “The only way we’re going to be able to get out of here is with a government intervention. We are very concerned that if one of us does get ill here, what the consequences are… we don’t know what they are.”

Cahill say four of them are over 60 – one is a diabetic who is healthy but needs medication.

Some of them have young children at home and some have elderly parents who are not well.

The group is now looking for a place to stay, and they’re afraid of running out of funds.

They have been in contact with Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as the U.S. Consulate there, but so far no one has been able to give them any answers.

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