Kerala, the small southern Indian state where the Athekkatils live, plays an
outsize role in such flows. An estimated 2.5 million Keralites were working
abroad before the arrival of the virus, the vast majority in the Persian Gulf. The
pandemic is pushing them home in record numbers: As many as 500,000
migrants and their families are expected to return by the end of the year, the
largest such exodus ever, experts say.
Nearly 400,000 people have already returned to the state from the gulf since
May, according to data provided by the Kerala government agency responsible
for overseas workers. At least half of the returnees said they were coming back
because they had lost their jobs.