Hong Kong’s tough stand on India’s vaccine records sends residents on emotional roller-coaster ride trying to reunite families

Stuck in Mumbai while her elderly parents struggle through the Covid-19 pandemic on their own in Hong Kong, Rhea Mahtani is desperate to get back to the city where she was born and raised.

Her 81-year-old father is ill with a heart condition, and her 76-year-old mother is his main caregiver. Mahtani said she was the only family member the couple could rely on, and before the pandemic, she used to visit Hong Kong four or five times a year.