Three friends stuck in 'eternal hell' after being held against their will in Italian quarantine centre
A young man from Nottinghamshire says he's stuck in 'eternal hell' after being held against his will in a quarantine detention centre in Italy.
20-year-old Quinn Paczesny and his friends, Will Castle, 22, and Rhys James, 23, were teaching English in Florence when they tested positive for coronavirus on August 17.
They were then escorted from the hospital to a coronavirus quarantine centre where they've been stuck ever since.
Despite showing no symptoms for more than three weeks, the three men have tested positive five times. They put this down to 'dead coronavirus cells' that have remained in their systems. However, they have been told they cannot leave the facility until they've had two negative tests.
Under the Italian system, patients must test negative for coronavirus twice at least 24 hours apart before they can be freed. Doctors believe the boys are not contagious but as there is no test to prove this, they face being stuck in quarantine indefinitely.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain today (September 21), the men described the situation as 'frustrating' and 'petrifying' as they desperately call on the UK Government to help repatriate them.
"The thought of us being here for three months is petrifying - to spend any longer in this prison and eternal hell as we refer to it," Mr Paczesny said.
The friends, who have been transferred to three separate facilities over the past five months, often video-call each other to keep their spirits up, but they say the WiFi connection can be poor.
Their meals are also left outside their rooms by staff in hazmat suits, while they are forced to wash their clothes in the bathroom sink, using only shampoo.
The Foreign Office said: "Our staff are in regular contact with the local health authorities about the cases, and have raised concerns with them about their dietary requirements."
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