‘I helped this Chennai city, now my family is infected’
He came forward to collect & dispose waste from containment zones. Having tested positive, he and his family now face wrath of neighbours
Published: 07th May 2020 06:37 AM | Last Updated: 07th May 2020 12:45 PM | A+A A-
Sukumar (wearing orange reflective jacket) is seen collecting waste from containment zones in yellow bags and burying it | Express
CHENNAI: When everyone else was too scared to collect waste from a containment zone, sanitary worker Sukumar (name changed) stepped up to do the job. Today, the 42-year-old is admitted to a government hospital, after testing positive for the virus. “It was in the last week of April,” recalls Sukumar. “A group of them, all in their twenties and thirties, were asked to collect waste from a containment zone in Anna Nagar. They told me, ‘anna’, we are scared. So I volunteered.”
Sukumar was not too shocked when he found out. “Many conservancy staff have been testing positive, one after another. I saw this coming at some point.” But what he did not expect was that his family too would be affected. On Tuesday, he found out that his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and nine-month-old grandchild are all positive. “I was consumed with guilt when I found out that my little baby also caught the virus,” he says referring to the grandchild.
“Imagine his own grandfather putting him in the way of harm.” Sukumar’s family have been trying to stop him from blaming himself. They have been trying to make him understand that children recover faster than adults. “I cannot get over it. I have been wearing my mask and gloves while on duty.” Sukumar was not given any protective suit when he went inside the containment zone, to handle waste.
“It did not matter much that I caught the virus trying to help out this city and its residents at the hour of need. What broke my heart is that when we caught the virus, my entire street turned against our family,” says Sukumar. “After I tested positive, my wife told me that our neighbours were accusing us for bringing the virus into the street. They wouldn’t even help get milk or groceries for the baby anymore as they were quarantined.”
‘Consumed by guilt’
Sukumar found out that his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and nine-month-old grandchild are all positive on Tuesday. “I was consumed with guilt when I found out that my little baby also caught the virus,” he says referring to the grandchild. “Imagine his own grandfather putting him in the way of harm.”
