A Scottish nurse stranded in Asia is desperately trying to return home so she can fight coronavirus on the NHS front line.
Rebecca Knox, 25, had flown from Glasgow to Asia in February to begin the solo trip of a lifetime before the outbreak forced her journey to a halt.
The occupational health nurse had planned to travel around the world for six months, she told the Daily Record.
She is now trapped in Laos and unable to book a flight home.
With no return date in sight, she fears she won't be able to help her NHS colleagues provide life-saving treatment for victims of coronavirus.
Speaking to the Record from her hotel she said: "I had recently quit my job to pursue my lifelong dream to travel but it's not gone to plan due to the virus.
"I want to get back home now, do my quarantine and just get in on the frontline to help out the NHS.
“They are screaming out for nurses at the moment, I'm desperate to get home and help.
Rebecca is also worried about where she will sleep each night while she is stuck in Asia.
“It’s scary here because we are receiving news that police are going around hostels chucking foreigners out in the streets".
The NHS worker had booked flights home after Boris Johnson urged all travelers to return to the UK.
But when she arrived at Guangzhou airport she was knocked back as tourists were banned from entering.
Losing £1,500 for the flight and with no alternative way home, she was forced to enter talks with the British Embassy in the hopes of finding a way back to Scotland.
Rebecca: "I had booked flights from Vientiane to London via China.
"I was waiting to check in for my flight and I was just handed a letter to say I wasn't allowed to board and I had been denied entry to China.
"I had been told that tourists would not be denied entry until the following day.
"I got no help from the Embassy and was told just to try my luck.
“I’m now staying in a hotel which is open until tomorrow.
"I'm not sure if it will stay open after that."
The young nurse said her lifelong dream has turned into a nightmare and she can't wait to be reunited with her family.
"I have wanted to do this honestly since I could talk and I have saved up as much as I could.
“It’s just really gutting going from finally carrying out your lifelong dream to this.”
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.
“The FCO is working around the clock to support British travelers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK.
"The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen.
"Consular staff are supporting those with urgent need while providing travel advice and support to those still abroad.”
