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A couple is finally going home after a five-day Caribbean vacation turned into a five-month lockdown as a result of the current pandemic.
James Ohliger and Romane Recalde traveled to the Turks and Caicos Islands back in March for what they had intended to be a five-day vacation.
Watch an interview with James and Romane below:
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However, when the current pandemic worsened, the length of their trip significantly increased and they were forced to stay on the islands for five months after they closed their borders in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
As a result of the lockdown, the tourist-reliant businesses in the area have suffered devastating losses.
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In an interview with Business Insider, Ohliger, the cofounder of Jerry Media, said: "The island is completely dead. All the reservations canceled. The beach is basically a private beach for us and everything shut down."
It's been estimated that the Turks and Caicos Islands lost $22 million a month as a result of the pandemic-induced lockdown because their economy is entirely based on tourism, with the majority of it coming from the US.
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In 2019, the area hosted over 1.5 million tourists.
Ohliger, who has been visiting the area for 33 years, said that he's struggled to watch the impact of the pandemic on locals.
His friend, Kamario Smith, described the situation as "very, very devastating" after being unable to do his work as a bartender at the Ocean Club Resort on the island of Providenciales.
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The lockdown in the area finally ended on Wednesday, which is what allowed Ohliger and Recalde to finally fly home.
The couple are hoping to land back in New York on July 27 - the day the Turks and Caicos will be finally reopening their borders.
But on a happier note, these nursing home residents recreated iconic album covers in lockdown.
