Amid rising coronavirus cases in India, a Twitter post by a woman who returned from Spain and is under quarantine at the Delhi police training school in the National Capital Region's Dwarka raises concerns. With COVID-19 mushrooming into a global nightmare, the filthy and deplorable conditions under which suspected patients are being isolated by the authorities have raised many questions.
A series of videos tweeted by the woman, who goes by the name Navya Dua on the micro-blogging site, has exposed the lack of sanitised conditions at her isolation facility. The group of 40 people are being quarantined for 14 days. The rooms are in dilapidated conditions, while bathrooms are a far cry from being called hygienic.
"I land at Delhi airport dated 16th March 1:00 am KLM airlines from Spain. I am subject to the 14 day quarantine at a govt facility in Dwarka police training school. I won’t say anything I just give some videos of our *sanitised* accommodation... We are more than 40 people with only 3 washrooms and 5 large bed rooms. They want us to stay sanitised and this is what they give us. Guys this is a A MAJOR CONCERN. this way India cannot contain coronavirus only will get more cases (sic)," she said in a series of tweets accompanied by videos.
I land at Delhi airport dated 16th March 1:00 am KLM airlines from Spain. I am subject to the 14 day quarantine at a govt facility in Dwarka police training school. I won’t say anything I just give some videos of our *sanitised* accommodation. @PMOIndia @WHO @CISFHQrs pic.twitter.com/vd4AnLBIkW
— Navya Dua (@NavyaDua) March 16, 2020
Another tweet for the same. We are more than 40 people with only 3 washrooms and 5 large bed rooms. They want us to stay sanitised and this is what they give us. Guys this is a A MAJOR CONCERN. this way India cannot contain coronavirus only will get more cases. @PMOIndia @WHO pic.twitter.com/5q1wcr0xKX
— Navya Dua (@NavyaDua) March 16, 2020
However, her posts did not go down well a section of Twitter users. Be thankful and stop complaining, some tweets suggested.
Atleast it is clean ,you cannot expect a 5 star facility for free,why did you travel in this times knowing very well the situation? Just criticising to give India bad name.
— Lotus (@HittsVora) March 16, 2020
In china, they are making the infected person pay for the quarantine.
— Rishi Bagree 🇮🇳 (@rishibagree) March 16, 2020
Why can’t you clean yourself , I’m sure if u r well enough to tweet you all can get together and clean too. it’s a time of crisis,dearth of staff, mismanagement is inevitable.wat the govt has done for you all is enough already?isn’t it?
— Sumedha Iyer (@sumeidha) March 16, 2020
It is to be noted that Dua is not the only person who has complained about unhygienic conditions at government hospitals and isolation facilities in India.
On Monday, The Print had reported that more than 83 individuals who were brought back from Italy and are under quarantine in Manesar created a ruckus demanding better facilities, forcing the police to be called in. Many individuals have taken to social media to post pictures of poorly sanitised conditions under which the suspected patients are being, ironically, isolated and quarantined.
My daughter landed from Spain today morn around 8:30 and since then her life has become a living nightmare.
— Tinkerbell 11:11 (@tinkerbell9958) March 16, 2020
At the airpot for 5 hours they did not get a sip of water or food
The staff was rude - pushing them, even to the extent of saying - दूर रहे हमसे, तुम सब मरने वाले हो....(1)
PLEASE HELP My friend is under observation at Ward 27 Kasturba Hospital Mumbai with 10 other patients. These bad conditions with poor sanitation, reckless staff attitude will not help contain the pandemic@CMOMaharashtra @mybmc #CoronavirusPandemic #COVID19india #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/j3iAPYW2yy
— ankit gupta (@ankuagarwal) March 12, 2020
The family of the Agra woman who tested positive for coronavirus has also alleged that she refused to stay at the government hospital due to similar reasons. Following the refusal, the woman's father was booked or misleading authorities about the whereabouts of his daughter, a suspected COVID-19 patient.
With governments around the globe stepping up awareness efforts on the significance of personal hygiene and social distancing to check the spread of coronavirus, the questionable hygienic conditions of government hospitals will not serve the purpose of isolation and containing COVID-19. Instead, it will assist in further spread of the disease.