SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Travis King, a Ph.D researcher for Washington State University, is currently stuck trying to get home from Honduras amid the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
King has spent the last four years in Honduras working with big cats like jaguars and other large animals.
But now, he's one of many people who are struggling to come back home.
"Some people, especially those who are really in need, have been able to get out, but that's been very limited and they have been able to get a lot of people out," King said.
King is working with the United State embassy in Honduras to get home, which he said has been helpful.
"Trying to find a way and working with the U.S. Embassy, which has been a huge help, but all of us here are really kind of struggling to find a way to evacuate home," he said.
King said his original plan was to shelter-in-place during the outbreak, but that changes quickly as more cases were around as the disease spread around the globe. Then, travel restrictions were placed at the border, and King has been working hard to find a flight home the last few days.
But according to King, finding a way home has been challenging, as cases begin piling up in Central America.
"I believe there's either 24 or 26 cases confirmed in the country and a lot more people are filling up the hospitals," he said.
But now, King has hope: he got a ticket on an United Airlines flight, assuming it doesn't get canceled.
"Luckily today, United decided to bring in 75, so I got the last plane ticket on one of the flights out of Sand Pedro Sula, as long as it's not canceled in the next few days," King said.
If the flight remains as planned, he would return home on Thursday.