Coronavirus scare: 1st group leaves quarantine, says it was like ‘Bigg Boss ka ghar’

NEW DELHI: For Zakura Hassan, ITBP’s Chhawla Camp was like “Bigg Boss ka ghar (the house of Bigg Boss)” where she was quarantined for around 17 days, away from her family but with a few hundred others, presenting an opportunity to make new friends.
“There were announcements, common rooms, common television, mess, and food — everything that reminded me of the Bigg Boss show.There is also this anxiety to go out and be free,” says Hassan. As she prepared to leave the camp on Monday, she became emotional recalling moments at the camp.
On Monday, health minister Harsh Vardhan visited the facility and interacted with the evacuees as a batch of 200 was discharged, with others to be released in phases.
A day in the camp started with a morning announcement calling people for a routine check-up followed by breakfast usually comprising of bread-butter, fruits, parathas or puri-sabji, served between 8am and 9.30am. During the day, people spent time playing indoor games, chatting, watching television or surfing the net. Lunch and dinner were served on the second and fourth floor of the five-storey building, respectively.
“I will not forget the time I spent here and the way ITBP officers took care of us. Despite the risk of infection, they treated us and even pampered us like their own children. Every morning, they would come make our bed, clean our rooms and ensure that we go for routine check-ups,” Hassan said.
A third-year MBBS student at Hubei University of Medicine, she was among the 406 evacuees from Wuhan brought back by the Centre following the novel coronavirus outbreak in China.
Many others — mostly medical students studying in Wuhan and nearby cities — have similar stories to share about table tennis and carrom matches and chats with ITBP officers.
Reeba Khan, from Jammu & Kashmir, studying MBBS, salutes the spirit of officers, doctors and paramedics who took care of them. “The officers provided us with the best possible facilities. They provided us with all basic necessities, medical screening was done every morning,” Khan said.
Doctors who treated the students said there were challenges too. With people from different backgrounds and habits, managing food and other needs was not easy. For instance, some demanded non-vegetarian food even as WHO’s treatment protocol prescribes a strictly vegetarian diet. ITBP brought psychiatrists and psychologists on board to convince people to accept vegetarian diets.
“Initially we had no clue whether any of these evacuees were infected with the virus. So, we had to ensure that the arrangement was such that we prevent any spreading of the virus. Besides, we also had to counsel them to wear masks all the time, maintain a safe distance while talking to each other or playing games in the common room,” says Dr A P Joshi, chief medical officer at ITBP. Dr Joshi calls it his “toughest assignment” so far.
“These people — students or working individuals — left the comfort and safety of their homes and adapted very well to different challenges of a quarantined facility. They were properly counselled and various coping mechanisms to overcome psychological stressors were suggested,” said Dr Urmi Chakraborty, clinical psychologist from RML Hospital.
Doctors say they took precautions beyond the usually required quarantine of 14 days. All inmates were screened three times and were given discharge certificates only after they tested negative in all of them. A team of 44 doctors, including psychiatrists, psychologists, and specialists, in quarantine facilities looked after the group.