A fundraiser has been launched to assist a Gamilaroi man stranded in Peru after the South American country enforced a 15-day military lockdown on March 16 in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign, launched by Donna Armstrong, aims to raise $10,800 in the hope of securing a flight for Mr Munro Duncan to return home from Peru's capital, Lima.
With only AU$500 to his name, Mr Munro Duncan could not afford the upfront payment of $5000 for a ticket on a chartered flight facilitated by the Australian Government through travel company Chimu Adventures last week.
Chimu Adventures' website states that the company has "finalised the flight manifest", but detailed timings are not confirmed. It hopes that the flight will takeoff from the Lima's military airport on Sunday.
Currently, Mr Munro Duncan is confined to his small hotel room in the northern town of San Antonio De Cumbaza.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is trying to get permission from Peruvian officials for Mr Munro Duncan to travel to Lima, which is approximately one-thousand kilometres away.
The Coronavirus containment measures put in place by the Peruvian Government make any travel around the country extremely difficult.
Overnight, Mr Munro Duncan told NITV News that the GoFundMe "absolutely" gave him hope of a potential return home.
"I feel relieved ... Brother, I can finally physically kick back and relax confident now we’re all gonna get out," he said.
The 33-year-old also said that if the fundraiser were to surpass its target, he wanted to assist other Australians stuck in the country.
"They got nothing to spend on flights ... I can’t leave them here, knowing what it’s like and their positions. I want all of us Aussies on this next charter. I’m gonna try my best anyway."
Chimu Adventures also confirmed that a flight from Buenos Aires has been cancelled due to Argentina's border restrictions, while they are in discussions with Uruguay about a flight out of Montevideo next week.
