A space engineer from Yadgir has decided to stay at the COVID-19-affected Spain.
Most of the countries in the world have been struggling against the deadly novel coronavirus, with Spain being one among the worst-hit countries in Europe, with the death toll crossing 1,000 last Friday.
Amid worrying reports on the toll, 27-year-old Basavaraj Sankin, who is a native of Tumakuru village of Wadagera taluk in Yadgir district and works as a space test engineer at Avellan Space Technology and Science (AST & Science) in Barcelona, has decided to uphold his social responsibility to prevent the spread of virus and avoid air travel.
Mr. Sankin told The Hindu from Barcelona over phone on Sunday that the situation was critical in Spain as over 20,000 people have been infected there. The Spanish government had strictly advised citizens to stay indoors and go out only on exceptional grounds such as medical emergency and grocery purchase, he said. “In the present circumstances, I will not come to India by air, where there is every possibility of the virus spreading from one passenger to another. More importantly, to uphold my social responsibility, I have decided to stay here with the necessary health precautions,” he said. He also advised Indians to follow the guidelines issued by the government and maintain social distance.
His worried family members have repeatedly asked him to return to India, but Mr. Sankin has refused, promising them that he would keep himself in good condition by staying indoors. “We initially were worried after hearing news about the deaths in Spain. But we felt relieved after speaking with him often. Now, we can proudly appreciate his decision of not returning home,” said Mallappa Sankin, his brother.
