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Bay Area Indian community’s COVID concerns for family in their homeland
While many in the Bay Area watch the coronavirus’ crushing on results on India from a distance, the fear is hitting very close to home for many who live right here.
MILPITAS, Calif. - While many in the Bay Area watch the coronavirus’ crushing on results on India from a distance, the fear is hitting very close to home for many who live right here.
"My cousin’s son and his wife got infected and their daughter got infected and I just heard that my cousin got infected too," said Rupal Dandia, a San Jose resident.
The San Jose resident tells us she's been nervous to watch the news coverage of India where cases have surged and led to more than 360,000 infections in a single day.
Along with the staggering number of infections, the death toll has surpassed 200,000.
The disease is spreading through both India’s dense cities and rural areas.
It’s reportedly overwhelmed the health care system, which is said to be on the brink of collapse.
Dandia tells us she’s concerned about her hundred or so relatives in India. Among them are her parents and in-laws who are of an age that’s susceptible to the deadly consequences of COVID-19.
"I’m just worried. I don’t want them to leave the house. I don’t want anyone visiting them just because there are no hospital beds," she told KTVU Wednesday.
Like Dandia, Milpitas resident Naren Bakshi is from Jaipur, a city of about 3 million people.
He traveled there before the coronavirus became a pandemic and remained in the country after family in the Bay Area warned him about the severity of infections here in the U.S.
Bakshi returned home a week and a half ago.
"Everybody is scared. I have heard situations in my own family and they’ve had a hard time finding hospital beds and some even passed away," Bakshi said.
Because of the surge, travel to the country is restricted so those with family say all they can do is send money to help.
"The community here is very saddened by what they’re seeing. They’re looking to help as best as they can through fundraising efforts, through sourcing supplies for oxygen concentrates," said Raj Desai, C.E.O of the Indian Community Center in Milpitas.