Some home isolation +ve patients facesocial stigma, get help from NGO, cops

Nagpur: With over 5,800 Covid-19 positive patients in home isolation in the district, some have lodged complaints with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) alleging they are facing social stigma. With the help of NMC and the police, NGO ‘Together We Can’ is resolving issues and also providing essentials.
“One member of a family residing in a flat scheme in Itwari is in home isolation. A few flat owners locked the door of that flat from outside. The family contacted the NMC control room. The family had to say that their relative resides in the same flat scheme and since they were helping by supplying milk, groceries and vegetables, a few of the other flat owners are raising objections. Police reached the flat scheme and resolved the issue,” a volunteer from the NGO told TOI.
Talking about a somewhat similar issue, president of NGO Joseph George, said, “Some flat owners of a scheme in Giripeth were not allowing home delivery of essentials to a family in home isolation and quarantine. Even their garbage was not being lifted. We informed Sitabuldi police who reached the place and warned of action and the problem got resolved.”
Not only co-residents, even a cop, too, victimized a family in home isolation. “A policeman kept a family with a three-year-old child without milk and vegetables for two days in Chitnavis Nagar off Umred Road. The policeman and a few others told the milkman and vegetable vendor to discontinue supply to the family. The policeman also abused their relative who was supplying medicines and other essentials. The family contacted the NMC control room. I also took the corporator from the ward to the policeman. We provided a grocery kit to the family which is sufficient for around 20 days. Still, the family was in trouble. Then we requested additional CP Nilesh Bharne who resolved the issue,” said Nilesh Dhamdhwani, another volunteer from the NGO.
In another case, some locals resorted to pelting stones at the NMC’s barricade. “The control room received a call from a family in home isolation saying their neighbours were pelting stones at the barricade installed by the NMC for the containment zone. The family was told to say that some people from the area threatened them not to be in home isolation. We informed the police who swiftly visited the area and sorted out the issue,” said Anusuya Kale-Chhabrani.
API Amol Dond, posted in the NMC control room, said, “Some flat owners of a scheme contacted the NMC control room and demanded that their security guard be taken to any other place. The call was transferred to me. I guided them and told them not to harass the security guard and instead, help him,” he said.
Cracking the whip, municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe reiterated NMC’s stand regarding such issues. “Stringent action, including FIR, will be registered against people who engage in social stigma against positive persons in home isolation. No one has the right to ostracize anyone. The need of the hour is to maintain a safe distance from positive patients and not social distance. We have to socially and emotionally support positive patients,” said Mundhe.
Doing such challenging work has not been easy for the NGO. “We contact positive patients daily and enquire about their health. A couple of patients in home isolation said they went out to purchase vegetables and groceries as they are alone and have no support from anyone to get home delivery. Milkmen, vegetable vendors and home delivery of groceries etc get interrupted once neighbours learn that the family is infected. Some measures need to be chalked out for such people,” the NGO said.
When the district administration and NMC started quarantine centres to accommodate high-risk contacts of positive persons, people lodged complaints demanding shifting of the centres. Even the administration had closed down a couple of quarantine centres following a demand from a legislator and one of the top officials.
With the rise in number of active patients, the NMC had allowed home isolation of positive patients and home quarantine of high-risk contacts from July 27. As on Saturday, 1,993 patients in home isolation were declared recovered. Around 5,861 positive patients are in home isolation.