11 family members of deceased Covid-19 patient test negative

“Trated like criminals with no facility in quarantine: Family

NEYAZ ELAHI

Srinagar : In this melancholic atmosphere, finally there emerged a good news. All the 11 family members of first deceased Covid-19 patient and his relative from Kashmir have been tested negative at Rainawari Hospital here in Srinagar city.

 11 members including a servant and a maid and a relative doctor of first Couvictim were quarantined and they all have been tested negative.

First Covid-19 victim, an established businessman from Sopore, who was presently living at Shah Anwar Colony of Hyderpora Srinagar died a couple of days ago at Chest Disease Hospital Dalgate Srinagar.

  Authorities had quarantined the son, daughter, daughter-in-law, a maid and a servant, six children and a relative doctor of the deceased Covid-19 patient shortly  after he was tested positive.

The devastated family were more devastated when they they were put up at a place with no facilities. “We were feeling as we are criminals, locked up in the hospital wards with zero facilities. There is common filthy bathroom for all and in this chilly rainy season, there is no heating arrangement,” Rabia, the daughter of the deceased patient told Kashmir News Trust over phone.

She said the family couldn’t participate in the last rites of her father, but, “to quarantine all of us was inevitable and I don’t complain about that, but what hurts, the treatment we are given here in the hospital. We have been left on the mercy of God. We feel as we are criminals and have done something nasty,” she said.

Rabia added that her 3 little children are shivering with cold and there is nobody from authorities who feel their pain. “This disease is not a stigma and patients are not at fault. We should broaden our perspective and stop looking down upon the Covid-19 suspects,” she said.

She said this is not the quarantine centre.This is centre for killing all quarantined persons. “We are  22 persons including 8 months baby and 3 year child in one ward with a common washroom as if we are criminals. We arer at high risk of infection here in view of common washroom for 22 persons. There is no hot water, so no chance of taking bath. We ask for masks, they provided 3 masks for 22 persons. We ask for sanitizers, they gave two small 50 ml bottles for 22 persons,” Rabia Anim told KNT.

 “I am thankful to God that all our family members are tested negative but I feel we will get positive here because of mixing with other families,” she added.

 She said they did keep silent as their cousin who is a doctor and quarantined as well want us not to raise huge and cry.

“We request district administration to quarantine us at a place with better facility or home quarantine us as we are tested negative. We will strictly follow the quarantine rules,” she told KNT.