‘Proud of my doctor brother, but worried too’
Gurmeet Choudhary is very worried. The recent spike in Covid-19 cases in his home state Bihar is a cause of huge concern for the actor. He says, “Overwhelmed hospitals, poor infrastructure, and the rise in cases are quite alarming. Often people think and believe that they won’t be infected. This leads to negligence resulting in a widerspread. In big cities, there are many hospitals and doctors to deal with the situation but in smaller towns there are hospitals, too, but the population is huge. There are so many villages in Bihar and if the numbers keep rising like this, then bahut mushkil hogi.”
Choudhary feels the need to increase awareness in smaller towns and villages in Bihar. He says, “We have to emphasise that you can be infected if you meet people in groups or are in crowded places. Wearing a mask is a must and so is washing hands often. People in Bihar saw Mumbaikars and people in other cities take all these precautions and now it is their turn to do these diligently.”
The 36-year-old actor is also worried as his elder brother, who is a general physician in their hometown Purnia, has been treating patients. “My bhai is running his clinic everyday and has not seen his family or his newborn since the last three months. My parents, bhabhi and her family have been living in our house while he stays in his house, away from them, in quarantine. Sab dare hue hain ki use na ho jaaye. But my brother has been taking care of himself and his patients. He says, ‘if all doctors sit at home, kaise chalega?’ In fact, one of our close relatives has tested positive, ab toh Corona ghar mein aa gaya hai, so the situation is quite dangerous right now,” he says.