On the upper floor of a house, nearly 10 km from Kochi airport, stays Tony*, newly home-quarantined since Monday night. His parents stay on the ground floor, and have been in home quarantine for the past five days. All three of them – just returned from foreign countries -- have been advised home quarantine as a precaution against COVID-19.
Tony, a Non Resident Indian, has just returned from Toronto, on a short leave since his dad became unwell. Both the parents -- in their 60s -- were visiting Tony’s brother in Australia when the father began having difficulty with eating. The parents flew home and were advised home quarantine. So was Tony, at the airport.
He tells TNM what happens when a person is home-quarantined, where it begins, and what the anxieties are.
Tony had two levels of screening when he came to India – first at the Delhi airport and then at the Kochi Nedumbassery airport. At both places, there was thermal screening, forms to be filled and other procedures followed for passengers. But there were fewer questions in Delhi unlike in Kochi.
“At the Kochi airport, they have placed a few boards in English and Malayalam, with a list of countries. Those who had visited these countries in the past one month will be directed to the respective counters. My thermal screening was done and I was advised home quarantine. It wasn’t mandatory but I was told to try and keep to my home for the next 14 days as far as possible,” Tony says.
Local health authorities checking in
Tony’s first concern was about his father who is not well, and has a terminal disease. “We feared that it was a recurrence, and he was taken to a hospital as soon as he came to Kochi. But the hospital staff said that he could be taken in only after he finishes his 14 days of home quarantine.”
His father was finding it difficult to take solid food. The family worried about how he could go on living on liquid food for 14 days and if his condition would worsen. “But then we got calls from the local health authorities. They said that if it gets bad, he could be taken in an ambulance to an isolation ward and he’d be given tests or drips or whatever was needed. But they advised us to do that only as a last measure so we wouldn’t need to go to the isolation ward without having coronavirus symptoms.”
The health officials made at least two calls every day to check on the father’s condition. For five days, this has been the procedure. Now that Tony too has joined them, all three of them had to keep proper distance between themselves, so he has put himself up on the upper floor. “We interact very little with each other. We were given a paper with instructions on what to do and what not to do at the airport. We follow that – keeping ourselves clean, washing hands frequently, and so on,” Tony says.
Concerns of home quarantine
The next issue was food. Before his parents reached, they had asked Tony’s uncle to stock up some food for the family in the house. “Also friends would come and drop food packets at the gate and we would collect it. We also talk to our neighbours over the walls. What’s important is that we keep a distance of at least one meter from each other and not touch. But then we have friends to bring food and help. What happens to those who don’t have such help and need to be home-quarantined?” Tony asks.
The isolation itself can be stressful for some. Tony’s parents, who are used to social visits, are finding it a little difficult to keep off from people for days. In Tony’s case, he has a bunch of books he calls his little library. He hopes to make the best use of this opportunity to read them as otherwise life can get all too busy. He has just turned father for a second time but has not been able to see the newborn yet.
“My wife and kids are at her place. I will finish my home quarantine before seeing the new baby. But then I am a little unsure if 14 days are enough or if I should wait more,” he says.
That’s another concern. They have not yet been told what to do after these 14 days. Should they be tested or walk free? How will the society’s acceptance of them be?
“It is not yet clear why they are not testing more people sooner so home quarantine can be avoided if it isn’t necessary. I don’t mean everyone, but people with milder symptoms. Perhaps there are reasons we are not yet aware of. And we would probably be advised on how to proceed with the quarantine at the end of 14 days by the health officials who keep calling to check on us,” Tony says.
*Name changed to protect identity.
Also read: