Gurgaon: Pushpa (43) was packing her bags with
Holi gifts for her son in
Sonipat when she got a call from her supervisor. Just like Diwali, her leave for Holi too had been cancelled.
A rise in the number of
Covid cases in the city has prompted the district authorities to cancel the leaves of most
healthcare workers. From
doctors to
ASHA workers and nurses, all have been asked to report for work on Monday.
With the increase in cases, bed occupancy in hospitals has gone up too and so has the administration’s efforts in arresting the spread of the infection. While doctors are needed to attend to patients in hospitals, ASHA workers help the authorities with contact tracing and testing.
On the whole, it’s call of duty versus call from home. The past year was anyway devoid of any celebration for the frontline workers. Even if they got leaves, they did not dare visit their families during festivals fearing they might get infected too. That is why many healthcare workers in the city had applied for leaves during Holi this year.
Pushpa, an ASHA worker staying in Palam Vihar on rent, was planning to visit her husband and 14-year-old son in Sonipat. “As an ASHA worker, my primary job is to mobilise and counsel Covid patients. Not only are cases rising now, the vaccination drive is going on at the same time. For that too, we have to counsel the recipients. Plus, we have our regular work of mobilising pregnant women and children for immunisation,” she added.
Dr Khushboo Singh (29), a public health manager from Rohtak, was equally disheartened. “At times, I do crave for a normal life. I also want to meet my father and brother in Rohtak. Maybe I’ll get to meet them when things are a little better,” said Dr Singh, who has been working in the city for the past three years.
For Dr Amandeep (26), this is the second consecutive Holi he has had to stay away from his family in Sirsa. An urban nodal officer, he has been managing the vaccination drive with others. “This is a call of duty. I couldn’t visit my home last year too as we were involved in a crucial programme to overcome the pandemic. Like other festivals, we have to be prepared for Holi too,” he said.
Those associated with testing labs and polyclinics will also have to mandatorily report for work on Monday. “Collecting samples and sending them for tests is done on a daily basis. For me, Holi will be spent the same way as Diwali last year. I will be working like usual. People like us have to make do with video calls. I am more exposed to infection and since my parents are aged, I can’t go home just like that,” said Vikram Yadav, who is associated with a polyclinic in Sector 31. Yadav’s parents live in Bhiwani.
Gurgaon chief medical officer Virender Yadav said he had little option but to cancel the leaves. “But I’m also on duty to motivate others. As cases are rising in the city, monitoring the situation is extremely important. We are also carrying out vaccination drives at the same time,” he added.
So far, 3,132 people have succumbed to the virus in Haryana. Of them, 2% are healthcare workers. In the city, 202 frontline workers have tested positive till now.