Home, in the nick of time

Editor:
In February 2020, there were rumblings of a virus called COVID-19. Since it was in China, it didn’t seem to concern us. Little did we know.
My sister Christa and I had planned our vacation to Naples, Florida and we were going. So, on March 6, we flew south. The first week was sun and relaxation. The news reports of COVID-19 were daunting. Each day things grew more serious as the virus spread to this side of the Atlantic.
No more fun – the tourist attractions in Florida started to shut down. By March 15, news reports were getting really serious of how dangerous and contagious the virus was. The government was suggesting that all visitors should consider making arrangement to go home ASAP since the borders could be closed at any time.
Our flight home was booked for March 19, but we decided to try for an earlier flight. So, on March 17, we drove from Naples to Ft. Myers airport to try and change our flight. We sat around the airport for a few hours trying to talk to the supervisor, then were told that she would not be in until the evening. Back to Naples we drove and decided to try the next day – our luck was no better. By then of course, it was the day before our flight. Back to Naples, packing and getting ready to fly home. Needless to say we couldn’t sleep and were up at 3 a.m. to drive to the airport for our 8 a.m. flight. We returned the rental car and sat in the lobby until people started to arrive. My sister and I were the first in line that morning, determined to get on that plane. Finally, it was time to board. When everyone was seated, we were told that this was a rescue flight and therefore no food would be served – only water. Good thing we had some munchies in our bag. Upon arrival in Toronto, we were told that we were the last flight to land from Florida and that the border was closed. No more flights coming or going. My sister and I were the last ones off the plane as we waited for transport. By the time we had our luggage, no other passengers were in sight. It was eerily quiet – the hallways were empty except for staff handing out info about COVID-19.
Our ride home was waiting and thankfully, we got to Creemore at about 2 p.m. on March 19.
Marie Blohm,
Creemore.