Highlights
- Thousands of Australians are stuck in India due to border closures.
- India has extended its lockdown and ban on international flights till May 3, 2020.
- The Australian government is finalising special flights to bring Australians back home.
More than 1500 Australians have returned home from India through chartered flights and many more have petitioned the Australian government to rescue them.
But one Australian family is sticking it out and has decided to stay put till ‘the time is right’.
When Naishadh Gadani reached India with his family on March 8, India had recorded only 40 cases of COVID-19.
“I travelled to India to attend a conference and later went to my hometown, Ahmedabad to meet my parents. We were scheduled to fly back to Australia on April 7 but India went into lockdown and closed down the borders on March 22,” Mr Gadani told SBS Hindi from Ahmedabad.
The family’s flights were cancelled and India later extended the lockdown till May 3 but instead of opting for the chartered flights that have brought back many Australians, the Gadani family has decided to stay put in India despite a huge increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
“There is no simple answer to why we have decided to stay put. There are multiple reasons,” Nildhara Gadani says.
“We have two young kids. We are hundreds of kilometres away from Mumbai and Delhi from where the chartered flights have been arranged. If we want to take them, we must first travel by bus which can take up to a day to reach the airport.
“Then almost another 18-22 hours to reach Australia. It won't be easy to travel with children.,” she says.
Expensive flights are another reason. It would cost the family close to $9,000 to take the chartered flight.
“It is also very expensive. And we already have spent on tickets for this trip. This will be an additional cost for us,” Mr Gadani says.
The family says the strongest factor at play is that they are with their family in India.
“We know the cases are rising but we feel completely safe here. We are in lockdown. We do not go out of the house. We have everything we need. And my brother and his wife are doctors. We have doctors at home,” Mr Gadani explains.
The couple’s children who go to school in Melbourne are studying remotely from India.
Source: Supplied
“We have received all the communication from the school and we wake up really early for our school work,” Mrs Gadani says.
“It is challenging but we have a laptop and an internet connection. The kids would be learning from home, even if we were in Melbourne.”
As of April 24, India has recorded over 23,000 cases and at least 718 people have died.
The western state of Gujarat, where the Gadani family is, has recorded 2,624 cases, making it the second-highest in the country after Maharashtra.
“We know the cases are rising and the lockdown may or may not be lifted. Everything is uncertain and we do not know when will we return. But for the time being, we are going to stay here till the time is right to travel,” Mr Gadani says.
Source: Supplied
‘Special flights are being arranged’
The Australian High Commission in New Delhi is in the process of finalising special flights in the week commencing April 27 from New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata and has urged Australians in India to register with them.
“This will enable us to contact you, should the need arise,” the High Commission said.
All travellers returning to Australia will be required to undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated facilities at their port of entry.
Follow SBS Hindi’s special coverage of COVID-19 outbreak
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others and gatherings are limited to two people unless you are with your family or household.
If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor, don’t visit, or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
If you are struggling to breathe or experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
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More than 1500 stranded in India return to Australia
