RAJBIRAJ: The poor condition of the quarantine and isolation are making a mockery of the government claims about the best ever possible measures taken to safeguard the life of people at this pandemic induced crisis.
Most of the areas of Nepal bordering with India are in high alert at the prospective COVID-19 transmission from the Nepali returnees from India.
Not only the province and the local governments but also the federal government is also claiming it has paid enough attention to the possible transmission cases of the people returning from India. Yet, the infrastructure meant to curb it is in poor condition.
The quarantine established in Rastriya Primary School located near Nepal India border at Balan Bihul Rural Municipality 4 in Saptari reflects the poor preparation made against the coronavirus pandemic.
The school used as quarantine is surrounded by dense settlements around it, there is no window and door in the quarantine set up in the small area. Bambo strips are used for window pane and the door.
|There are two temporary pits used for toilet, they are wrapped by the sacks so as to keep them off the sight of those in quarantine. People are kept in the congested rooms.
The team of health workers reached there to collect the swab of the locals who had come into contact with the COVID-19 positive youth of 35 of the same area were shocked to see the pitiable condition of the quarantine.
Duniya Lal Yadav, a high official from District Public Health Office Sarlahi said that it resembled a crowd during some program.
“It’s really very poor sight here,” he said, “they may have many limitations however, such quarantine expose more people to risk.”
Yadav’s team has collected the swab 75 people including 34 men, 3 women, two boys and one girl including the parents of the infected, health workers and the security personnel there.
“There is no toilet and water tap as per the human ration,” Yadav said, “the litter is everywhere, it’s not a place for quarantine at all.”
According to Yadav, the people there informed him that the locals had been bringing milk, curd, meal and other things for the people in the quarantine till the news of infection got public.
The ‘COVID-19 Standards for the Operation and Management of Quarantine 2020 hails that the quarantine should be aloof from other settlements, it should have the capacity of accommodating at least 100 people, it should have a good provision of communication, health facilities and electricity, and there should be at least 75 square feet distance between each person living in such facilities.
The standards have put the sanitation of such shelters as a must.
The Mayor of the rural municipality expressed his helplessness in such cases.
“There are no big buildings or shelters worth using, hence we are compelled to use such place as quarantine,” Daya Nanda Goit, the Mayor said sadly, “we have, however, arranged for the two meals and snacks in the shelter.”
According to him, the local government has worked efficiently in tracing the newcomers.
The coronavirus positive youth had returned from Gundgaun, Hariyana India using the secret route and reached home. The youth, his wife and a brother who had returned from India were forced by the locals to join the quarantine.
After the border seal, many people have used the secret routes to return home exposing the people abiding the lockdown at risk of transmission.
The highest number of returnees has made the quarantine congested. With the explosive spread of COVID-19 in India, hundreds of Nepalis are using the border pores to return home.
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