Coronavirus: The Day Quarantine Completed, 3 Kashmiris Test Positive At Jaisalmer
SRINAGAR: The floor beneath the feet of one of the Kashmiri quarantined at Jaisalmer slipped away when the health authorities at the facility declared nine people positive for Coronavirus including three Kashmiris. The facility, officially called wellness facility created under Operation Namaste, is an armed forces infrastructure where most of the people flown from Iran stand quarantined.
The nine people who tested positive are among the 484 Indian rescued from Iran. They were flown to the facility in Jaisalmer in batches between March 15 and March 17.
The quarantines who have come up with a negative test want to leave the facility as their quarantine has ended. In the wake of new revelations, a new circle of quarantine has started.
“The first mistake they (hosts) made is that they made our stay amidst pilgrims,” one of the quarantined students said on phone. “Proper segregation which we requested wasn’t done. We were students and we had already quarantined ourselves in Iran. But now we are in a panic.
As per protocol the high risk and low-risk groups can’t be quarantined together. Authorities at the wellness centre, however, had their own SOP at work.
All the positives until now were asymptomatic and negative as the quarantined underwent a test on a daily basis. “Because of this asymptomatic factor with a potential viral load carrier, there is a fear in everyone and everyone is scared now of each other,” another student, also quarantined at the facility said.
The Kashmiri quarantines at Jaisalmer were evacuated from Iran last month. Happy with the new environment, they were excited as the 14-day quarantine was ending on March 31. But as they were preparing to leave with their bags zipped, the officials at Jaisalmer said, “Nine people have tested positive.” The officials have extended the quarantine period to another 14 days, much to the annoyance of all.
“My heart skipped a beat,” said one of the quarantines visibly sad at the news. The three positive cases, however, are from the pilgrims’ lot. All of them are above 50 years of age, the officials told the students.
My parents are worried now, especially my mother. “She frequently calls and cries.”
KL
