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In corona backlash, friendly neighbourhoods turn frosty in Chandigarh
Those who won the war against the virus are now battling mistrust among neighbours .
After having recovered from Covid-19, people are facing a hardship of another kind. The virus has gone but the stigma has stayed on. Apprehensive stares, aloof attitude and harsh words are the new stumbling blocks for those who battled the novel coronavirus and came out winners.
A 42-year-old man, who reached his Mohali home after spending over two weeks in an isolation ward, was left shocked by the indifference and frosty behaviour of his neighbours. “They look at me as if I am going to infect them all. If I come out in the verandah even for a minute I can see them immediately rush inside their homes. I have recovered and I am taking all precautions. But they think that merely by looking at me, they will be infected,” he said.
He said they have a problem with his mother (who tested negative) taking a walk in the backyard of his house or washing clothes there. “One of my neighbours even threatened to complain,” he said.
The epidemic is revealing the worst side of people who they once considered their friendly neighbours.
Disappointed with the attitude of neighbours, he said, ”They have no right to torture us mentally. It’s not that they are not well read. These are educated people behaving like illiterates. If they don’t know how the disease spreads, they must google it and learn about it before showing such discrimination.”
Mistrust, sometimes bordering on incredulity, is the new hurdle they are finding hard to get used to.
A Sector 27 resident under home quarantine said, “The moment you are put under home quarantine, people think you have committed a crime and are being punished for it. Home quarantine is not punishment. The whole country is under lockdown.”
He said the moment authorities paste the home quarantine sticker outside your house, neighbours start spreading rumours about you. “This is wrong. People should be supportive,” he said.
One of the suspects whose contacts were released on social media said his details were leaked on social media and he faced a harrowing time after that. “I got so many random calls. People asked me details of my visits. When it got too much, I stopped answering unknown numbers. It was torture. One can handle the illness, but this behaviour is nerve racking.”
To make matters worse for survivors, even those who are looking after them are being treated with mistrust.
A nurse from Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said that her neighbours, whom she has supported in the most difficult times, avoid her like plague. “They stay away from me, they don’t make eye contact, and all because I work in a hospital. It is appalling to see the way people are changing around you,” she said.
The stigma attached with the virus is giving way to another fear. A health workers admitted in PGIMER’s corona ward is very worried, and not so much about the disease. “What if my landlord asks my wife and child to vacate the house? Its my only worry,” he said.
According to the UNICEF, the level of stigma associated with Covid-19 is based on three main factors. One, it is a new disease for which there are still many unknown aspects. Secondly, we are often afraid of the unknown. And thirdly, it is easy to associate that fear with ‘others’.
*Drive people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination
*Prevent people from seeking health care immediately
*Discourage them from adopting healthy behaviours
