Preston man makes it back home for dad's funeral after two-week Covid quarantine in Germany

Andrew Neale has spent the last fortnight cooped up in a "quarantine hotel" in Frankfurt after he tested positive for Covid whilst on a lay over from Bangkok to Manchester on March 2.

The 35-year-old, who now lives in Thailand, had frantically boarded a flight home after his dad - Preston bus driver Clive Neale - died from coronavirus on February 27.

But whilst on a brief lay over in Frankfurt, and just minutes before boarding his connection to Manchester, Andrew was notified that he had tested positive himself.

He told the Post how he was "devastated" at the thought of missing his dad's funeral and of his shock at being quarantined unexpectedly.

Alone in his hotel room on Tuesday, and fearing the worst, Andrew said he recorded a video speech for his beloved dad, in case he wasn't allowed to return home to attend the funeral.

Yesterday (Wednesday, March 17), after 15 days in quarantine, Andrew anxiously took a rapid Covid test. To his relief, the test came back negative.

If he had tested positive, he would have been forced to re-enter quarantine for another two weeks.

After showing the test result to the German authorities, he was granted permission to fly home.

The next available flight was to Heathrow, which Andrew eagerly accepted, and two hours later he was touching down on home soil.

Physically and emotionally exhausted, he then boarded a train home from London to Preston, where he was finally reunited with his family.

With his two-week ordeal finally over, Andrew will now be able to join his family in saying goodbye to his father Clive at his funeral in Preston.

You can read Andrew's full story here, where he describes his stay in German quarantine and the efforts made by his friends and family to bring him home.