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A South African citizen, who was stranded in Cameroon during the lockdown, has finally been reunited with his son battling cancer in Cape Town.
“I was released [from quarantine] on Tuesday and arrived home on Wednesday. I have been with my son since and it was very emotional,” Reginald Faulmann told News24 on Sunday.
The 62-year-old had been stranded in Douala, Cameroon, since 18 March.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa’s initial announcement of the 21-day nationwide lockdown, in a bid to minimise the spread of Covid-19, meant all international and domestic flights were prohibited, irrespective of the risk category of the country of origin.
READ | ‘Please get me home to my dying son’ – Dad stranded in Cameroon’s plea to SA govt
Faulmann arrived in South Africa on Sunday, 19 April, after the government amended regulations to make provisions for repatriation flights during the lockdown. He thanked the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) for their efforts to ensure he returned to SA soil.
“When the repatriation flight of SAA was cancelled, they went the extra mile to secure a charter to bring all stranded SA people back home. They worked tirelessly to make sure that this would happen, and they kept in constant contact at all times to inform me of progress,” he said.
He was placed in quarantine at the Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg, Gauteng, and later tested for Covid-19.
Following his results, he was released, and he was able to reunite with his son.
Faulmann has been with his son, Jody, 39, since then.
His son is terminally ill with cancer and “has very little time left”.
Repatriation and evacuation flights continue during the Level 4 lockdown, but international and domestic flights remain prohibited.
ALSO READ | Lockdown: ACSA has facilitated evacuation, repatriation of 13 783 passengers – Mbalula
As of Sunday, South Africa had 6 783 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 131 deaths.
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