Families opt for isolation as hospitals packed across Rajasthan

JAIPUR: Even though people bulk at the thought of wearing masks at homes, Niti Aayog’s advice has come as a shocking revelation for many people who hesitatingly took small risks of exposing themselves or their children to the outside environment.
The fact that hospitals have run out of both beds and oxygen, the suggestion of wearing mask has not lost on people. In the past few days, many have made changes to their daily routine to reduce the risks.
Some have given their maids fortnight paid leaves as an immediate precautionary arrangement, while others have stopped their children even to move inside the compound of their building. Relatives and friends coming home had been put on hold.
Ramandeep Kaur, mother of two, said she has stopped sending her 9-year-old daughter to the park in front of their house. “I somehow manage to keep her inside the house throughout the day. But in the evenings, she insists on going out. It’s not a pleasant situation when she is denied,” said Kaur.
She said unlike last time, Raja Park has been hard hit as there are more than 50-60 cases daily. “It’s not that the doctors or the government saying the virus is very infectious this time, but we are witnessing it in and around us,” added Kaur who is a non-practicing pharmacist.
Before Niti Aayog member V K Paul made the comment, The Lancet journal carried a study two weeks ago attributing the current spread of the virus to the failure of the governments to treat it as predominantly airborne.
Ashwani Gupta, 76, patriarch of a joint family in Malviya Nagar, said that the assessment of the Lancet journal does seem to have logic if one looks at the ferocity at which the virus is spreading.
“That’s why I have stopped all my grandchildren (seven of them between 7-21-years of age) to go out. They were allowed to go for cycling on the road we live couple of months before the second wave started. We have also had mutual understanding among relatives and friends to postpone visits for sometimes,” said Gupta.
People said it’s hard to know asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic individuals who can also spread it unknowingly. Even a symptomatic domestic helps can also become a reason for infections.
Hiral Jagad, a home maker in Mansarovar, said, “We have given paid leave to our maid for 15 days. If the situation does not improve, we will tell her to wait. Asymptomatic people pose a bigger risk.”
She said it’s a scary situation out there and she cannot afford to lose guard.