Highlights
- Thousands of Australians are stuck in India due to the ban on international flights
- Australian Government has arranged special flights to bring back Australians
- Everybody who arrives from overseas has to undergo a 14-day quarantine
But she postponed her travel as she was afraid of the COVID-19 cases rising sharply in Australia while there were barely any positive cases in India.
“At that time, India felt much safer. I was visiting my parents with my infant son and was worried about him catching the virus during travel as he is a premature child,” Ms Bhattacharya told SBS Hindi.
“Postponing my travel was the biggest blunder of my life,” she says in the hindsight.
India announced a lockdown without enough notice, leaving thousands of foreign citizens like her stranded, Gargi claims.
“I hoped to return to Australia in April but India announced a strict lockdown, shut down the border, banned the flights and the cases of COVID-19 kept on rising. I was stuck and desperate to return,” she shares.
Gargi Bhattacharya in the repatriation flight (left) and under quarantine at service appartment in Sydney with her son (right). Source: Supplied
“The situation in India was deteriorating and the virus was brought under control in Australia. I was keen to come back to protect my child,” she says.
She had to spend more than $5000 to buy a business class one-way fare to return to Sydney.
“It was incredibly exhausting to travel with a small child. First, there was a layover in Doha where they did not give us the pram. We had not slept properly and without a pram, I had to carry my luggage and my child till we got on to the next flight to Sydney. It was tiring, 36-hour journey till we reached our hotel, where we had to quarantine for 14 days,” she says.
People who arrive from overseas are required to undergo mandatory quarantine at a government allocated place for 14 days.
Australian residents returning from India are helped by members of the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Defence Force at Sydney International airport. Source: AAP
Ms Bhattacharya and her son were allocated a serviced apartment in Sydney by the Australian government to quarantine.
“The place had its own kitchen, and they provided meals for me. The arrangements were nice, but as a single parent with a kid, it was tough initially,” she says.
The government rejected her request to allow her husband, who was in Sydney, to stay with them.
“I requested an exemption to allow my husband to come and stay with us. But it was approved on the 12th day. It made no sense to quarantine for an additional 14 days,” she says.
After days of anxious moments, a 36-hour journey, spending more than $5000 and 14 days in quarantine, Ms Bhattacharya finally made it home on Tuesday.
“It has been exhausting. My only request to the government is to exempt single parents travelling with kids under 3 from mandatory hotel quarantine. We can quarantine at home. It is not easy to care for such a small child alone,” she says.
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ALSO ON SBS HINDI:
Flights announced to repatriate Indians stuck in Australia
