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While Argentina and Brazil decided to close their borders, a dozen tourists found themselves trapped in a “no man’s land”.
For the past several days, 17 Argentinian tourists have been forced to camp right in the middle of the Tancredo Neves, an international bridge between Brazil and Argentina. As the two countries closed their borders, the group is stuck there, in this “no man’s land”.
An eventful return from the United States
Aurelia Ojeda is part of this group. This 31-year-old woman was traveling to the United States during the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Finding that the confinement measures were going to become more and more strict, she decided to return home, to Argentina. But in the absence of a direct flight, she flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Stuck between two countries
Arrived in Brazil, this gymnastics teacher had only one solution to return to Argentina: take a taxi to the border. After more than 1,000 km and a 12 hour journey, Aurelia and several other tourists arrived opposite a roadblock of the Argentine authorities. With the borders already closed, they were not allowed to return to their country. But after that, they also couldn’t go back, blocked by Brazilian guards. This is how the 17 Argentinian tourists found themselves stranded on this bridge, between two countries.
A nightmare that could still go on
The border guards provided them with a makeshift tent and mattresses. They are also allowed to use the toilets of the Brazilian guards, 1.5 km away. They are living a nightmare. The group had a glimmer of hope when the Argentinian foreign ministry announced that it would make them leave the bridge “as soon as possible” but Sunday evening, the president indicated that the border closing was prolonged for at least two weeks.
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