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Maxine and Graham Moore from Northborough jetted out to India on March 5 having saved up for a trip of a lifetime with Mercury Holidays.

But the outbreak of Covid-19 has ruined their plans after they were forced off their flight home moments before it was due to take off and sent to a hotel in the southern state of Kerala without explanation.

The couple’s daughter, Lara, told the Peterborough Telegraph that the touring party have been put in rooms with no air conditioning despite temperatures reaching 36 Celsius, while some are said to have no working toilet or fridge.

Graham and Maxine Moore in isolation in India

The group, many of whom are pensioners with underlying health problems, are also allegedly being charged for water, while Lara said it took two days for her parents to receive any explanation about why they were taken off the flight.

She told the PT: “They’re in quarantine in a hotel. They’ve had their passports removed and they’re not allowed to leave.

“They’ve had no contact from the travel agents and were given no idea what’s going to happen.”

Maxine and Graham, who are both in their late 50s, are part of a touring group of around 17 whose trip was halted last week after one person developed flu-like symptoms.

They were told to stay in a hotel on Wednesday and Thursday last week while the person was tested, and when the result apparently came back negative they were booked on a flight by the tour operator to return home on Saturday to make sure they were not stranded in the country.

But their return home did not go to plan, according to Lara. “They were removed from the plane and taken by ambulance to a hotel even though they have no symptoms,” she said.

Local media are now reporting that the man who was tested did actually have coronavirus and boarded the plane leaving India.

Lara said her parents were given no explanation on the Saturday or Sunday as to why they were hauled off the flight and that they have received no word from Mercury Holidays, although they remain in contact with the British embassy in India.

“They’ve just been told to wait in their room and have just been given water and food,” she said.

“There is nothing to do and no air conditioning and it’s about 36 degrees.

“They’re more frustrated than anything else - they have no idea how long they will be there for and are annoyed their passports have been removed.

“This was meant to be a trip of a lifetime - they’ve been planning it for ages.”

Local media are reporting that all 289 passengers had to be removed from the flight and put in isolation.

Kerala currently has 22 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with a total of 10,944 people reportedly suspected to have Covid-19.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in close contact with the Indian authorities and are providing consular assistance to the British people affected by ongoing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in India.”

Tom Bugeja, CEO of Mercury Holidays, told the Peterborough Telegraph he is in personal contact with the families, including in a WhatsApp group which includes a member of the Kerala health authority and tourism authority, as well as the business in India Mercury Holidays works with.

He said: “I’ve been in personal contact with this group since the start.

“The air conditioning is off because the hotel refused to turn it on because it feared the possible spread of the coronavirus. They have now been provided with fans.

“They are being looked after as well as possible and are not having to pay for water.

“I’ve also been in constant communication with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in India and the UK.”

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