The outbreak of Covid-19 has made many countries to ask people who have potentially been exposed to the infection to isolate themselves at home or in a dedicated quarantine facility. The crucial purpose of quarantine is to prevent transmission of disease by separating contacts of Covid-19 patients from community, to monitor contacts for signs and symptoms of the disease and segregate the suspects from fellow quarantined persons. Covid-19 cases have surged across India as stranded citizens, including migrant workers and their families, travelling as unorganised groups, are returning to their home states. According to an official estimate, as on May 26, a total of twenty three lakh people were in quarantine facilities arranged by different states and union territories. The issue now is the overflow of persons at government-run quarantine centres and the tales of woes and limited triumphs at these centres.
The central Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has outlined guidelines for quarantine facilities of Covid-19, however, the important task of creating a consensus with the states on quarantine modalities is yet to materialise. Confusion awaited the first batch of passengers who left New Delhi to various cities, with some of them returning to the capital. Passengers arriving in Bengaluru protested that they did not receive prior notice of institutional quarantine. The centre rejected Kerala’s proposal for seven days in public quarantine and the other seven at home. Another issue is the standard of the facilities and the food provided; in Jharkhand over 100 migrants fled from a quarantine centre to escape from poor facilities. Dirty toilets and insufficient quantity of food have been the major complaints from Mumbai’s centres. Bihar’s quarantine residents complained that no beds, food or even a fan were provided. The gravity of the situation was seen when a labourer in Maharashtra committed suicide after fleeing a centre. The stigma of being in a quarantine centre is adding to woes with many villages and localities hindering returnees from entering their homes.
Nagaland’s quarantine centres too have been attacked for mismanagement and delayed supply of meals, causing undue hardships. However, at the same time, videos/pictures claiming inedibility of well prepared food have surfaced and unruly behaviour by returnees has been exposed. Some centres have reported strict adherence to rules and compliance by returnees. Despite many shortcomings, tireless frontline workers and various volunteers have been taking extra efforts, extending aid in the form of supplies, food preparations (sanctioned by the govt.) and even gift packages in our quarantine centres. Looking forward, as more returnees come back to the state, the government must focus its time and resources on preparing more quarantine centres rather than on shifting people. We as citizens must also question how far the responsibility of the state goes and our roles to ease the hardships of people in need. It’s time to quarantine our behaviour and put aside our differences. We must continue to work together to beat the Covid-19.
