India COVID crisis: South West man Sachin Patel’s heartbreaking choice to go to India to care for sick family

When Sachin Patel made the heartbreaking decision to leave the safety of Australia for India, he did so knowing his adopted home didn’t want him back. Mr Patel was building a life in the small community of Brunswick, 30km north-east of Bunbury. He was working in his family’s IGA store, when he made the selfless decision to return to India last week to care for his parents trapped in the epicentre of the pandemic. With people dropping dead in the streets, public spaces turned into makeshift crematoriums, and a nationwide shortage of oxygen, the 25-year-old booked a ticket to Gandhinagar via Dubai. His entire family had contracted coronavirus and there was nobody to care for his mother and father, who had also become infected. Mr Patel is not yet an Australian permanent resident and won’t be allowed back in even after the controversial India travel ban expires on May 15. Premier Mark McGowan is among those who have criticised people who choose to leave Australia for “unnecessary” reasons. But Mr Patel wants Australians to know not everyone who has left the country has done so to play cricket or attend weddings. “I couldn’t sleep at night ... I kept thinking my parents were going to die,” Mr Patel said. “I am too scared to leave my house — even to get groceries, if I am not healthy, I can’t care for my sick parents,” Mr Patel said. “They are now putting dead bodies in hospital carparks. People can’t even say goodbye to their loved ones because of the disease.” His relative Naresh Patel, who stayed to manage Brunswick IGA, said he supported the decision to head to India, despite the enormous risk. “It’s tough, but they need help in India,” he said. “The Brunswick community has really embraced us and we feel at home here ... so hopefully Sachin can return in the future.” Jandakot MLA Yaz Mubarakai empathised with the Indian community. Mr Mubaraki said he had not seen his parents in 18 months and was grieving the loss of his aunty who died in India on Tuesday after contracting COVID-19. He said the travel restrictions were there to keep Australians — including the Indian community in WA — safe. “Let’s stay strong, these sacrifices are important to save the lives of others,” Mr Mubarakai said.