Honeymooning UAE-based Indian couple stranded in the Maldives

A newly-wed Dubai-based Indian couple, who travelled to the Maldives for their honeymoon, were now stranded in the island nation amid travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic, a media report said.

"Everyone's been telling us how lucky we are to be on an eternal honeymoon on a dream island, which also happens to have only a few cases of coronavirus (19 so far, with 13 recoveries)," Ria Bhatia told Gulf News on Thursday from her room at an idyllic beach resort located on the tip of South Male Atoll.

"But truth be told, it feels like the honeymoon is long over because we are very anxious to return home," she said.

Rohan Bhatia, who works as a trade development executive, said he and his wife were to fly back to Dubai on March 20, a day after the flight suspensions kicked in.

"By the time we realised there would be no flights after 12 noon on March 19, it was too late and we could not advance our return," he said.

Stuck on the island now, Rohan told Gulf news: "I did not bring my work laptop and can't do much from here. My employer has been very supportive through this.

"I don't know how long we will have to stay here and hope we can get back soon. Our families too are a worried lot."

The couple said they had the option of flying out to their home countries when the flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were suspended.

"The Indian Embassy has been helpful but our situation is complicated as Ria is a Canadian passport holder and I have an Indian passport. We are both settled along with our families in the UAE and that's where we belong," he told Gulf News.