Coronavirus: Scarborough couple return from Venice and say it was like a 'ghost town'

Gina Fletcher and Neil Webster, both 27, travelled to Venice last Thursday after following advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth office website that it was safe to travel.

The couple, of Osborne Park, booked and paid for the holiday in November, and timed their trip to coincide with the last day of the Venice Carnival, which was eventually cancelled.

Gina, who works in a children’s home, said: “It was like a ghost town, there were no people around, the locals are in desperate measures, with glass-shop windows showing 60% off all prices. In Murano, over 50% of the shops are closed.”

Neil, an assistant manager at Costcutters in Ramshill, said “People were approaching us all the time because they had no custom.”

Their insurance refused to refund the cost of the trip because the government advice was that it was safe to travel, and after doing their own research, the couple decided that if they followed government hand-washing instructions they would be OK.

While they were there, the region became one of the first to be quarantined.

The couple said that when they first arrived the restaurants and cafes were opening from very early in the morning to last thing at night to try to make a little money, however, that changed on Sunday when the whole area was put under quarantine.

The restrictions led to restaurants and cafes being forced to observe strict opening and closing times, between 6am and 6pm, and customers told to sit at least 3ft apart.

The city’s gondolas are still running, they said, but museums are closed and large gatherings have been banned.

Gina, who visited Venice two years ago, said it was completely different: “The atmosphere and the buzz had gone.”

The couple said that restaurant staff said they had never seen it so quiet. Neil said: “You could still sit and have coffee, but except for food places, there was only ever us in the shop.”

They were still able to order room service at their hotel, but instead chose to eat out before 6pm and take sandwiches back to their rooms.

They said that on Sunday they weren’t even aware of the restrictions until they entered a cafe at 5.30pm.

Neil said: “If it wasn’t for KFC telling us, we’d have had no idea.”

When it came time to leave, the couple were stopped by police in the rail station on their way to catch the plane home. “Police were checking passports, because if you were from Venice you’re not allowed to travel. We had to prove we were British to travel.”

They returned to England at 9pm on Monday night, on one of Ryanair’s last flights to leave Italy.

They are both now observing a period of isolation to ensure they are clear of symptoms before returning to work.

Updated travel instructions on the government website today stated: ‘The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised against all but essential travel to Italy, due to an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19) in line with various controls and restrictions imposed by the Italian authorities on 9 March.’