Norman Man Stuck In Mexico After Contracting COVID-19

What started as a holiday vacation in Mexico has turned into an extended stay for a Norman couple due to a positive COVID test. 

The man said when they tried to return home from Mexico, he tested positive for COVID-19, and had to stay behind while his wife flew back to the metro. Timothy Shannon and his wife said goodbye to each other on the 23rd of December. 

The family had to spend Christmas, and now their New Year's and 19th anniversary, over Facetime. 

The part that frustrates Timothy the most, with the new CDC guidelines, is he and the airline said he should be good to fly.

"Today's kind of tough too because today is my actual anniversary," said Timothy Shannon.

He and his wife went to Mexico, the week before Christmas as an early anniversary celebration. 

They planned to fly home on Dec. 23rd, but had to get COVID tested 24 hours prior. 

His test came back positive.

"We had been taking temperatures at every restaurant all day long. I really had no symptoms whatsoever," explained Shannon. 

He added, "they said that my wife was still ok to fly since we were both asymptomatic and she had negative test."

Shannon stayed behind.

"I will say it was probably an easier decision because it was me and not because it was her cause that would have been a much more difficult decision to leave my wife here alone and go home with the kids in fact I don't think I could have done that."

He and his wife have 4 kids, and this year Shannon had to spend Christmas morning hundreds of miles away.

"They're still at that age where time is kind of getting short. So every vacation, every holiday is important.

So, missing one is not something you want to have happen.'

Shannon was still asymptomatic on Dec. 27th, when the CDC changed the quarantine guidelines to allow travelers with a positive result to fly with proof of recovery from a doctor, which Shannon had. 

But the 3rd party app used by American Airlines for travel to Mexico, VeriFly, hadn't updated its policies yet.

"They only have the spot to submit one form, so you either have to choose to submit your positive COVID test or your doctor release letter, but you can't submit both.

The problem is that doesn't meet the airlines policy," he explained. 

"I can understand that it might take some companies time to implement policy changes but when your company's sole job, such as VeriFly, is to implement and enforce COVID policy, you should be in real time," added Shannon.

He even went to the airport and hoped to catch a flight back home but instead, had to make the hour-long return trip back to the resort.

"And security wouldn't let me through the gate. They basically said I had checked out, so I was no longer a guest at the hotel."

They eventually let him back in and continued to comp his room and food while he quarantines.

"You have no room key so that way if you leave your room and try to sneak out, the door locks behind you. Then you have no choice but to tell someone," said Shannon.

Shannon hopes to walk through airport doors and reunite with his wife and kids on Sunday.