BHUBANESWAR: The coronavirus pandemic has brought untold miseries on people. For frontline workers who have nuclear families, the challenge of isolation and quarantine is huge. Those with young kids, the stress is manifold - and both physical and psychological.
The worker of a non-profit organization engaged at Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar has been at the receiving end of the suffering. He and his wife tested positive for the virus. But the real challenge was to keep their four-and-half-year-old son protected against COVID with family members and friends turning away.The 40-year-old NGO official felt unwell on August 9 and took the antigen test two days later. He tested positive. On August 12, his wife was found to be infected by the virus.
The couple hoped that their family members staying in other parts of the Capital and Nayagarh district would take care of their son but none came forward. “I informed my elder brother who stays in the city but he and his wife did not offer to take my son with them as they are both senior citizens and their only daughter is married. We decided to keep our son with us,” he said.
The husband and wife have had terrible time tending to the kid. Since both were positive, they kept the child in a different room and stocked food for him. “Ever since the outbreak of the pandemic, I attempted not to come in contact with my wife and son at our house since I meet and extend help to several patients in Capital Hospital regularly for which I decided to stay in a separate room,” the NGO official said.
He underwent test for at least five times in the past and was found not to be infected but chose to stay away from his family members. During the last six months, the father met his son only three to four times. “We would talk through the window. He is in LKG but the classes are suspended. He would request me to spend time with him but I stayed away,” he added.
Unable to find help, the coupled maintained as much physical distancing from the son as possible but when the kid developed symptoms, he underwent a test and was found positive on Tuesday.
“After recovering, I have decided to extend help to nuclear families in the Capital facing similar challenges. At least, I can provide them food as cooking is very difficult when a person is suffering from cold and fever,” he said.