Quarantine campsite in Manesar throws residents’ life out of gear
CORONAVIRUS People running hotels, other businesses claim camp has put off visitors; pharmacies claim mask sales higher than during peak pollution period
GURUGRAM: Right opposite the Aravali Dhaba in Manesar is an army camp, where 300 people evacuated from China have been quarantined, which, according to the dhaba owner Manoj Yadav, has badly hit business over the last few days.
Chairs and tables at the dhaba have been lying empty since last Saturday, as people are not willing to eat near the camp. “Only a few truck drivers stop nowadays. They also halt only in the dark, when they can’t spot army personnel, wearing masks, around. During the day, the dhaba is deserted,” said Yadav.
The first batch of 300-odd Indians was airlifted from Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus outbreak, on Saturday and kept in quarantine at the army facility in Manesar.
Since then, their presence in the area has been a topic of discussion among locals. Yadav said he has had to request the army personnel not to visit his dhaba if they are wearing masks.
“Army jawans would come to my dhaba, but I requested them not to visit until the batch of 300 students is stationed in the camp. Food sales have gone down this week. Commuters on the JaipurDelhi highway are also not stopping here, unlike before,” he said.
Yadav said that besides the loss of business, he has had to bear additional expenses, such as buying masks for his employees. “I don’t want my workers to fall sick. I wonder why the government selected Manesar,” said Yadav.
Around 200 metres from the army camp is a scrap shop. Radhey Shyam, who works at the shop, said that he would go to people’s houses to collect scrap, but residents of Sehrawan and Manesar did not sell him anything this week.
“I have started wearing a mask whenever I go to Sehrawan and Manesar, but residents are not giving me scrap. Everyone in the nearby villages knows that I work here. People have told me not to visit their locality till the 300 students are stationed in the Manesar army camp,” said Shyam.
In Manesar, Dharmender Yadav, director of Radhey Hospital and Trauma Centre, said that in the last few days, the number of patients wanting to be examined for cough and cold-related symptoms has increased.
“There is a rush among people to get themselves checked even for a cold and slight fever,” the director said, adding that people have asked him if the virus could spread through the air in the area.
Coronavirus has been identified as highly contagious and can cause pneumonia, with symptoms including fever, and difficulty in breathing. Experts said that since symptoms are similar to many other respiratory diseases, extra screening and precautions are needed. No vaccine is currently available for the virus.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) has directed people to cover their mouth and nose while sneezing, wash hands afterwards, frequently wash hands with soap or sanitiser, and maintain a distance of at least a metre from those who are sneezing and coughing. The WHO has also dispelled rumours that eating garlic, rinsing the nose with saline and using sesame oil under the nose help protect against the virus.
The sale of masks in the area has also gone up, chemists in the locality said. A chemist shop owner in Manesar said that the sale of masks has doubled over the last few days.
“I have been selling around 400-500 masks every day, which is much more than the numbers sold last November, when pollution was at its peak,” said Saksham Singh, who owns a chemist shop in the Manesar market.
Rajeev Kumar, who works with Radhey Shyam Chemist in Manesar, said, “I have to buy a new stock of masks every second day. The demand for masks has gone up in the last few days.”
Residents of Manesar said that many rumours about coronavirus have also started circulating in the area. Ashok Yadav, who lives near the Manesar bus stand, said, “People are talking so much about coronavirus that no one knows what it is. Everyone is saying that people living in Manesar have to be cautious. Why didn’t the army keep these students in Delhi Cantt?”
Health department officials in the city said that they will keep a close eye on any Gurugram student, after their release from the Manesar camp.
Ram Prakash, district epidemiologist, said, “We have not received any instructions from the ministry of health with regard to the quarantined students. If any of these people are found to be from the city, we will keep a close eye on them for 28 days (after the release).”