James Ohliger and Romane Recalde traveled to the Turks and Caicos Islands in March for a five-day vacation.<\/p>\n
But when the local government decided to close its borders until July in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the couple's five-day trip turned into a five-month quarantine.<\/p>\n
During this time, many Turks and Caicos businesses that rely on tourism have suffered.<\/p>\n
\"The island is completely dead,\" Ohliger, cofounder of Jerry Media, told Business Insider Today. \"All the reservations canceled. The beach is basically a private beach for us and everything shut down.\"<\/p>\n
The Turks and Caicos Islands, which saw over 1.5 million tourists in 2019, is expected to lose $22 million a month because of the lockdown. The islands' economy is based almost entirely on tourism, particularly from the United States.<\/p>\n
Ohliger, who has traveled there for the past 33 years, said it's been hard to see so many people out of work. His friend, Kamario Smith, normally works as a bartender at the Ocean Club Resort on the island ofProvidenciales, and called the impact \"very, very devastating.\"<\/p>\n
The couple plans to return to New York on July 22, the day Turks and Caicos reopens its borders.<\/p>\n
Video: Meet the 'Airbnb for pools': Swimply dives into the stay-at-home market (CNBC)<\/p>\n
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A couple is finally going home after their 5-day Caribbean vacation turned into a 5-month coronavirus lockdown - MSN Money<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" James Ohliger and Romane Recalde traveled to the Turks and Caicos Islands in March for a five-day vacation. But when the local government decided to close its borders until July in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the couple's five-day trip turned into a five-month quarantine Continue reading