People belonging to various sections have been caught off-guard by the emergency lockdown and the students pursuing a course in a foreign land are among the worst hit. A large number of Telugu-speaking students pursuing Masters in the US were asked to vacate their hostels abruptly amidst the crisis triggered by the coronavirus spread.
The members of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) rose to the occasion and helped hundreds of students by making arrangements for them in motels, some of them owned by the Telugus settled there. “We are doing all we can to help the Telugu diaspora in the US in this hour of crisis,” says executive vice-president of TANA Anjaiah Chowdary Lavu. The Association is also helping visiting parents from India stuck in the US due to lockdown, by ensuring that they get timely medicines.
The number of ‘positive’ cases and fatalities due to the virus are on the rise in the US which is fighting hard to contain the pandemic. “Many Telugu doctors are in the forefront, fighting the virus day in and day out,” said Mr. Anjaiah.
Service activities
Besides distributing masks, sanitisers and other protective equipment to prevent the spread of the virus in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the TANA members now are focussed on raising funds for the ‘first responders’, the police, doctors, paramedics and the sanitation staff in the US.
A series of awareness programmes like webinars on all aspects related to COVID-19, immigration rules and motivational sessions were aimed at helping people cope with a crisis of this magnitude.
Job cuts
Pointing to the fact that massive layoffs were feared in America due to the coronavirus crisis that was hitting businesses around the globe, he said H-1B visas, the most sought after among Indians, would be affected. He said TANA, among many other organisations, had petitioned the Trump administration to extend the permission for post-job loss limit to stay in the US from the existing 60 to 180 days.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows the US companies to employ foreign workers in occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The current federal rules require an H-1B visa holder to leave the US along with their family members within 60 days of losing their job.
“TANA is in touch with all US counsellors and we would extend all possible help to the Telugus here to overcome their problems,” said Mr. Anjaiah.
