This was not how Clemens Wolf imagined his birthday. The 71-year-old actually wanted to be on a South Sea cruise between Sydney and Peru with his wife Petra, instead of sitting in isolation in Stadthagen. But the dream trip has turned into a nightmare due to the corona virus.
With the trip, Clemens Wolf had wanted to fulfill a lifelong dream. As his wife says with tears in his eyes, he also worked as a pensioner in order to be able to bear the cost of the four-week cruise on the MS Artania in the amount of 15,000 euros.
The couple flew to Sydney on March 11, full of anticipation – not without having checked with their travel agent several times beforehand whether they were going to start the trip. However, the shipping company has confirmed the scheduled implementation. Arrived in the Australian metropolis – on Friday, the 13th, the city hunters were still able to visit the opera, then they went on the ship.
"We were immediately told there that the journey was over," says the 61-year-old. Several cities had closed their ports to cruise ships. You would have had the choice of either flying back immediately or being brought to Bremerhaven by ship within 30 days – without a stopover on land.
The first symptoms on board shortly after leaving
Of the 1,000 passengers, 200 chose to fly back, the rest set off for the journey after five days in Syndey. The wolf still used the time that the shipping company needed to process passengers and take in food and fuel for a trip to the Blue Mountains and a visit to the spa for a massage. There should hardly be such a moment of relaxation.
The ship sailed on March 18. At the time, all 800 passengers and the 500 crew members were still healthy – the ship was said to be "the safest place" before departure – the first symptoms of illness soon appeared.
The next day there was “code mike” for the first time: one passenger was not doing well. On March 24, the announcement was made that several passengers with increased temperature had reported. A general temperature measurement was ordered and the security measures had been strengthened.
Three hours of "free time" a day
The captain had picked up speed to get to Fremantle on the west coast of Australia, which they reached the next morning. In the evening it was clear that at least seven passengers and two crew members had been infected.
The quarantine for all passengers was ordered, three hours of "free time" were allowed over the day. Until everyone was able to fly, fever was measured daily.
"We thank the captain and the whole team," says Petra Wolf, visibly moved, provided you can guess the facial expressions under the face mask. The crew could not be blamed, "they looked after us wonderfully," confirms her husband.
Three emergencies on the plane to Germany
The Wolfs found the worst flight back with Condor on the evening of March 29th. "The machine was completely overstaffed, some passengers had to leave it and a safety margin was also not maintained," says Petra Wolf.
There were three emergencies on board and two travelers had to be supplied with oxygen. After a stopover in Phuket, we continued to Frankfurt. The Wolfs landed there the next day, a bus from their tour operator Phoenix went to Hanover and from there by train to Stadthagen.
The couple covered the last few meters by taxi – always with a face mask and a warning to fellow travelers and the taxi driver that they had been evacuated from a cruise ship because of the corona virus.
The following day, the couple called the district health department. Because the two show no symptoms, no quarantine was ordered, but rather isolation was recommended for two weeks.
Birthday party via chat
However, the couple are allowed to step outside the door, which is why the employees of the insurance company, where Clemens Wolf works, stood in the morning for a birthday serenade in front of the terrace. "As long as we don't make it a party and hug anyone, the health department has had no objection," says the 61-year-old with a laugh.
Now the Wolfs are happy to be back home and to celebrate their birthday with their four daughters and four grandchildren via WhatsApp chat. They just hope that the tour operator will keep their promise that all passengers will get their money back. Because Clemens Wolf is determined to make his life's dream come true – as soon as the corona pandemic is over.