Chanda couple away from kidsfor 104 days; no decision yet

Anjaya Anparthi | TNN | May 5, 2020, 04:27 IST

Nagpur: Despite craving to meet their seven and 10-year-old sons, this husband-wife duo from Chandrapur has not met them for 104 days. First it was Indonesia tour and then the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infection which has kept them away from going home.
The duo was asymptomatic since the beginning and reportedly had no health issues.
Both, who were lodged in Vanamati institutional quarantine centre instead of sending them home following discharge after full recovery in the GMCH isolation ward, will complete their 14-day mandatory quarantine period and yet their fate seems uncertain as no decision has been taken by the authorities.
“We have two sons — seven and 10 year-old, who are with their maternal grandmother and uncle. We have no option but to see and talk with them through video calls only. We have strictly adhered to the instructions by the administration. After discharged from Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on April 22, we were asked to stay at Vanamati and we followed it. At least now, we should be allowed to return home,” said the 39-year-old father.
The duo along with three more couples had left Chandrapur to attend Indonesia jamaat on January 22. They stayed at Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi for two days and at another place for a few days for completing visa formalities. They left for Indonesia on February 4. All returned to New Delhi on March 22, stayed at Nizamuddin Markaz, which had emerged as Covid-19 epicentre of the country, and landed in the city on March 24.
The couples were quarantined at MLA Hostel. As none of them had any Covid symptoms, their swab samples were not taken for testing on arrival.
The NMC had also quarantined many others whose digital footprints were traced near Nizamuddin. When this Chandrapur man saw samples of others being taken, he volunteered to get tested on April 3, the 11th day at the MLA Hostel. His reports came Covid positive on April 6. Following this, his wife and three more couples were taken to GMCH and their samples were collected on April 8. His wife (32) also tested positive on April 11 and both were shifted to GMCH isolation ward.
On April 22, after testing negative for two days they were discharged from GMCH. However, the couple’s dream of returning home was shattered as Chandrapur collector Kunal Khemnar asked them to spend 14 days at the institutional quarantine in Nagpur citing that his district has been Covid-free. Nagpur collector Ravindra Thakre arranged the couple’s stay at Vanamati.
Khemnar did not respond to TOI’s repeated calls on Monday.
Nagpur Markaz secretary Abdul Bari Patel told TOI, “Collector Ravindra Thakre has started allowing Tablighi Jaamatis (TJs) from other states, stuck here due to lockdown, to return. I will meet Thakre on Tuesday and request for the Chandrapur couple’s discharge from institutional quarantine.”
“We had a good foreign tour. We reached Jakarta Markaz and visited a few other places for religious purposes. Once in a year, we go on jamaat for 40 days. I had gone on jamaat to many states in the country. It was our first foreign jamaat,” the man said.
The couple has spent total 41 days in isolation and institutional quarantine as of now.