Bhubaneswar: Hate stories, tales of ostracization have become common ever since Coronavirus struck India and the concept of quarantine became household, common point of discussion. Migrants who have returned to their native states are staying in institutional quarantine for at least two weeks and then around two weeks of home quarantine was prescribed the Odisha Government. This was relaxed later depending on the gravity of the situation.
However, stories of people not allowed into their villages after completion of institutional quarantine are aplenty. Some of those come to the light, while other tales fade in the forests.
Two such cases surfaced in Odisha’s Ganjam and Subranapur recently.
A labourer, who returned from Chennai, spent two days in jungle after allegedly being denied admission to the quarantine centre, and entry to his village, in Ganjam. After reaching Balasore by train, Barik Nayak was brought to Bhanjanagar by bus, sources said.
However, when he reached his village, the local residents did not allow him to enter the village. According to Nayak, he spent two days in the jungle near his village after the Sarpanch and local administration did not help him to get admitted to any quarantine centre.
Later, the police took him to a quarantine centre at Sanakodanda. Many other cases in which the returnees are getting a rude welcome are even more heart wrenching. After cycling for a distance of over 1,000 kilometres from Mumbai to Odisha’s Bolangir, a group of migrants had to stay under culvert or riverbeds.
A man who was working in Bangalore returned to his home in Subarnapur recently was sent to institutional quarantine. After completion of the quarantine period, the man belonging to Binika, was not allowed to enter his village. He was forced to stay in a dilapidated hut in a forest nearby.
If the rural people are being overtly apprehensive about the spread of COVID-19 from people who have completed quarantine period, the urban masses are no less. There have been innumerable reports of people in suave localities behaving like brutal while treating people post quarantine.
The resident welfare associations (RWAs) of posh apartments in cities have diktat of their own, and the flat owners are bound comply. In many instances these self-proclaimed regulations go against eh guideline of the Government violating basic human rights of the people. But there is hardly anyone to raise a voice.
The residents of these apartments prefer to keep mum instead of going for a formal complaint.
The Government at Centre and the State Government have been appealing people to be considerate and compassionate while dealing with those who have recovered from COVID-19 or the ones who are on preventive quarantine and even those who have completed their quarantine period.
But in India, rumours spreads like wildfire and it cannot be controlled unless the people are themselves conscious to reject such fake stuff.
