The world continues to watch India remain the epicenter of the pandemic. More than 3,800 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in India in the past 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University. In total, the country has reported more than 22 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is larger than the entire Florida state population. Last week, President Joe Biden issued a travel ban in India banning travel for non-nationals or non-citizens. t permanent residents. Information on the details of the prohibition and exemptions can be found at the link provided. Even if the cases continue to increase, Indians living in the United States will find themselves in an increasingly exacerbated emotional and logistical quagmire. This includes Ranjul Gupta. He and his pregnant wife consider Columbus home after moving there from India on a work visa more than seven years ago. Gupta says they recently bought a home to celebrate their growing family. According to 2019 research by the Pew Research Center, Gupta and his wife make up the more than four and a half million Indians living in America. According to Pew, more than half of that total population includes those who are not American citizens. In April, Gupta and his wife traveled back to India to take care of his mother, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Gupta was being vaccinated at the time, but his wife was not being vaccinated because she had just canceled her Johnson & Johnson appointment due to the temporary national break. Gupta says she couldn’t get a new appointment in India because pregnant women are not being encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Then the travel ban hit at the beginning of May. Gupta says he and his wife are banned from returning to the states because of their immigration status and lack of updated passport logs. “So it’s not us,” Gupta said through a Zoom call with worried eyes. Really many hundreds of families like us are struggling to come to terms with this. And if you just look at the COVID situation, she’s pregnant and we’re scared to go to the doctor because you don’t know what’s going to happen. “Gupta says he and his wife do not have a valid passport stamp. His work visa requires them to have a physical stamp that allows them to leave and return to the US. Passport updates must be in person or through a Dropbox system a US consulate currently closed due to the pandemic in India. Even though his family has recently suffered a COVID-19 death, Gupta and his wife have no idea when to return to the US. “People are going to die and there is nothing you can do, “said Gupta said incredulously.” So it feels awful. Nobody could imagine that something like this would happen. So that’s pretty bad. And if you look at it the other way around, people in India are dying, and you have people in the US whose families are dying, and they have a situation where they need to think before going to India and think about whether they are supposed to come or not, because when they come they can get stuck for six months or a year. You don’t know what’s going to happen. “Gupta and others have reached out to the Biden administration on social media and online platforms to open consulates and change the ban to allow non-citizens living in the US on a work visa to return to the state in the meantime Local nonprofits are also working in Cincinnati to raise awareness and resources for the people who have been destroyed in India, with Sharonville-based nonprofit A Child’s Hope International recently donated $ 7,000 to a partner hospital in India for purchase ACHI plans to donate again. To donate, click here. Crossroads Church, which has long-established partnerships in India, announced that it will hold a virtual prayer event for those affected in India on Wednesday at 7:00 pm Interested parties can visit Crossroads inform about an invitation link on social media.
CINCINNATI –
The world continues to watch India remain the epicenter of the pandemic.
More than 3,800 people have died as a result of COVID-19 in India in the past 24 hours, according to Johns Hopkins University. In total, the country has reported more than 22 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, which is larger than the entire state population in Florida.
Last week, President Joe Biden issued a travel ban in India banning travel for non-nationals or permanent residents. Information on the details of the prohibition and exemptions can be found at the link provided.
Even if the cases continue to increase, Indians living in the United States will find themselves in an increasingly exacerbated emotional and logistical quagmire.
This includes Ranjul Gupta. He and his pregnant wife consider Columbus home after moving there from India on a work visa more than seven years ago. Gupta says they recently bought a home to celebrate their growing family.
According to 2019 research by the Pew Research Center, Gupta and his wife make up the more than four and a half million Indians living in America. According to Pew, more than half of that total population includes those who are not American citizens.
In April, Gupta and his wife traveled back to India to take care of his mother, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Gupta was being vaccinated at the time, but his wife was not being vaccinated because she had just canceled her Johnson & Johnson appointment due to the temporary national break. Gupta says she couldn’t get a new appointment in India because pregnant women are not being encouraged to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Then the travel ban hit at the beginning of May. Gupta says he and his wife are banned from returning to the states because of their immigration status and lack of updated passport logs.
“So it’s not us,” Gupta said through a Zoom call with worried eyes. Really many hundreds of families like us are struggling to come to terms with this. And if you just look at the COVID situation, she’s pregnant and we’re scared to go to the doctor because you don’t know what’s going to happen. “
Gupta says he and his wife do not have a valid passport stamp. Under his work visa, they must have a physical stamp that will allow them to leave the US and return to the US. Updates to passports must be made in person or through a Dropbox system at a US consulate, which is currently closed due to the pandemic in India.
Although his family has recently suffered a COVID-19 death, Gupta and his wife have no idea when they can return to the United States.
“People are going to die and there is nothing you can do,” said Gupta in disbelief. “It feels terrible. Nobody can imagine that something like this is going to happen. So that’s pretty bad. And if you look at it differently, people in India are dying, and you have people in the US whose families are dying, and so are you.” they have a situation where they have to think before coming to India and they have to think about whether to come or not because when they come they can be stuck for six months or a year, they don’t knows what’s going to happen. “
Gupta and others have reached out to social media and online platforms to request the Biden administration to open consulates and change the ban to allow non-citizens living in the US on a work visa to return to the state while following the recommended testing and quarantine protocols.
Back in Cincinnati, local nonprofits are working to raise awareness and resources to help those devastated in India.
Sharonville-based nonprofit A Child’s Hope International recently transferred $ 7,000 to a partner hospital in India to purchase essential medical supplies. ACHI plans to make more donations again. To donate, click here.
Crossroads Church, which has long-standing partnerships in India, announced its plans to host a virtual prayer event for those affected in India on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Interested parties can inform Crossroads on social media via an invitation link.
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