Couple Isolated Together In Tiny 15-Sq-Metre Flat

Story ByLee Bullen, Sub EditorJoseph Golder, AgencyNewsflash

This married couple who fled Venezuela’s economic woes in 2017 are self-isolating together in a tiny 15-square-metre studio apartment in Peru during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Maximiliano Thula, 37, and his wife Cecilia Moreno, 38, both from Isla Margarita, a Venezuelan island in the Caribbean Sea about 40 kilometres north of the mainland, are self-isolating in the western Peruvian capital Lima.

According to local media, the couple fled to Peru from Venezuela, like around 850,000 of their compatriots, in 2017 during the economic crisis.

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Now in lockdown in a tiny 15-square-metre (161-square-foot) studio apartment, Cecilia told local media: “Space is not a problem for us because we have been living like this for two years and we are already used to it, you could say.

The 38-year-old social communicator added: “The problem is not being able to enjoy a walk or go to the gym.”

Maximiliano, a 37-year-old audiovisual technician, told local media: “The apartment is around 15 square metres and the kitchen and bathroom are set in the same living space.”

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He added: “There are many people who only think that fun is outside, but it is everywhere. Fun is where you are. You have to be creative, find new ways to enjoy yourself. There are a lot of things you can do at home that are fun.

“I love my wife very much, we are deeply in love, that makes things much easier.”

Cecilia said: “I work from home so isolation has not been a problem for me in terms of my job.”

However, Maximiliano currently fears he may be made unemployed by the COVID-19 crisis.

He said: “The company I work for has had to close its doors. They sell food, it is a type of cafeteria.

“I am worried about how the situation will affect the company financially which would directly affect my job as well.”

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