“I can tell you there are people who sold probably everything they got, just to get on this flight,” said Rody Hansack Ordonez. “The effect that it is having on us is major – shelter, food, we gave it all up for this flight.”

The flights were cancelled after Cayman Islands authorities were informed by the Nicaraguan government that the country had closed its borders on Friday while it continues to grapple with its own COVID-19 outbreak. The sudden closure came one day before the flights were set to depart.

“It is difficult for us because everybody already paid for their tickets,” said Norlan Jimenez Gutierrez, who spent the better part of Saturday morning reassuring his young son in Nicaragua he would find a way back to him.

“We really want to get home,” he said. “Our families worry because they want to see us, and they can’t do anything about it because it is the [Nicaraguan] government who has the last word.”

Telma Molina, her son and daughter had also secured seats on Saturday’s chartered Cayman Airways flights. After the cancellations, they found themselves relying on the generosity of a friend.

“If it wasn’t for her, we would be sleeping under a tree,” said Molina.

Pointing to a stack of black containers beneath large plastic bags, in the back of the yard, Molina said, “We’ve tried to [pack] it as best as we could, so when it is time, we can just pack up and go.”

Molina, who had worked as a teacher in Nicaragua, moved to Cayman to work as a janitor, which paid better. However, she lost her job after government ordered all non-essential businesses be closed as part of its COVID-19 containment and suppression plan.

“We don’t want to put stress on the Cayman government,” said Molina. “It is a stress when you have 300, 400 people petitioning you, begging you for food every week; it’s a hassle…. Plus the Cayman government should save their money for their people, who [are] going to really need it if this pandemic goes on a long while.”

“When I heard that [the flights were cancelled], my [blood] pressure went up,” said Ana Gomez White. “We are just asking the [Nicaraguan] government to see what they could do for all of us Nicaraguans that want to go home because they know that we are not in our country. We are in [other] people’s country, and we don’t want to be giving anybody any problems, to say they are looking after us, and we have our home, and we need to go home.”

Hansack Ordonez said he is one of several people who would gladly isolate themselves for two weeks, if that were a requirement for them to be able to get back home.

“We are asking all the governments, regional governments, municipal governments, we need help to get home,” he said. “We are in agreement, we know the situation. … I know everyone is conscious that getting into Nicaragua, we will need to isolate ourselves for 14 days, because that is protecting our loved ones that we want to be nearby.”

Saturday’s cancelled flights was not the first time that Cayman’s Nicaraguan community tried to leave in large numbers.

“We spent more than a month trying to get the flight,” said Jimenez Gutierrez. “We made a video before this and everybody saw it on Facebook, and we didn’t get any answer. And, yes, there was the [option] to get a flight to Cuba and then to Managua, but now every frontier is closed. This was the only opportunity we had and then [Friday], they decided to close the borders.”

With no jobs, diminishing food stocks and tightly crammed accommodations, the cost for the stranded Nicaraguans to remain in Cayman becomes more and more expensive with each passing day.

The Cayman Islands government, Governor Martyn Roper and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have made various efforts to bring home Cayman Islands residents from around the world. It’s an approach Molina wishes the Nicaraguan government would adopt.

“I’ve never heard in history of a government that doesn’t want their people to go back to their country,” she said. “The government back home is not accepting us there. That is what they are saying – they are not accepting us, so then, where [do] we stand? In the middle between heaven and hell? … No, it is unfair to us.”

Premier Alden McLaughlin last week said the Cayman Islands government was offering support to non-Caymanians stranded on island in the form of one-off food vouchers. People looking to access those services can call 244-8000 or email cigcovidsupport@gov.ky.

Cayman Airways issued a statement on Friday which said all affected passengers will be given a refund for their tickets. For more information, those passengers can call 949-2311.