Tourist's The Terminal-Like Stint At Mumbai Airport, Then COVID-19 Camp

A 68-year-old retired teacher from Spain who can't return to his country because of the lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic is among thousands of migrants workers who are living in a camp in Mumbai.

Mariano Cabrero came on a tourist visa and was about to return when the lockdown was enforced. He said he spent 12 days sleeping at the airport after his flight was cancelled, before he reached the shelter.

Mr Cabrero's story has parallels to the 2004 Tom Hanks-starrer The Terminal, where a man gets stuck in New York airport after he is unable to return to his country because of a military coup.

While Mr Cabrero is in touch with the Spanish consulate and will return to Spain when the lockdown ends, he said he feels safer in India, given the high number of deaths due to COVID-19 in his country.

Mr Cabrero came to India in December on a tourist visa. By the time he was about to return, all international flights had stopped. "I spent 12 days at the airport, sometimes sleeping on the floor," he said, adding he is comfortable at the camp and has no complaints living there.

"I have been living at this camp for five days and I have been in India for around four months. I am here as a tourist. I did not come here for employment or business and I have no friends here... I have been in touch with the consulate for the last three days. They are arranging for my ticket to return," he told NDTV.

"The police here are friendly. Everything is good here. The bed and the food. It is much better here than my experience at the airport. I slept on the floor for 12 days, from March 22 to April 4," Mr Cabrero added.

Spain and Italy are still seeing hundreds of deaths per day despite tentative signs the disease may have peaked.