Coronavirus News: New Jersey woman returns home after being stranded in Peru due to COVID-19

Sunday, April 5, 2020
HADDONFIELD, New Jersey -- It's been 22 days since a New Jersey woman and four of her friends traveled to South America, only to get stranded in Peru by the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, 24-year-old Kacie Brandenburg, of Haddonfield, was able to get on a flight home.

Brandenburg and her friends have been stuck in a hostel in Peru.

Thanks to Senator Robert Menendez, they're coming home.

Brandenburg and four of friends arrived in Cusco, Peru on March 12, one day after the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as a pandemic.

Three days later, Peru closed its borders.

Two people at their hostel tested positive for the virus and, and as a result, the government had all 150 guests remain in place.
To help get them home, Brandenburg's family enlisted the help of Menendez.

"I personally called the Peruvian ambassador to the U.S.," Menendez told Action News. "I'm glad that the State Department got a MEDVAC plane. Kacie is on her way to the U.S. tonight."

Menendez is on the Senate Foreign Relations committee and he's currently helping hundreds of citizens from New Jersey who are stuck abroad.

Brandenburg and her friends work at Walt Disney World in Orlando. They are flying into Orlando.

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE



Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the testing centers
Free educational resources for parents and children
How you can help victims of coronavirus
Where is COVID-19 now? and other resources

Coronavirus news and live updates in New York
Coronavirus news and live updates in New Jersey
Coronavirus news and live updates in Connecticut
New York City updates
Long Island updates

How coronavirus is leaving ghost towns in its path
Coronavirus prevention: how clean are your hands?
Social distancing: What is it and how does it stop the spread of coronavirus?
Coronavirus closures and cancelations
Coronavirus tips: What Americans need to know

Related Information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
New Jersey Department of Health
John Hopkins' coronavirus tracking dashboard
Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.