For a Chennai-based Malayalee couple, the decision to drive down to Kerala to meet their children amid the lockdown has led them to their worst nightmare.
Rajeesh Rajagopal, a techie, and his wife Athira drove down to Kerala from Chennai on Wednesday, May 6, after receiving the required permits. The couple decided to travel to Athira’s hometown in Irinjalakuda, Thrissur to meet their two children who have been stuck with their grandparents since the lockdown.
“My wife is a medical student and we had sent our kids— aged three and one— to their grandparents, as Athira had an exam to study for. This was before we knew that a lockdown was coming,” the 31-year-old techie told TNM.
At 5 pm on Wednesday, the couple reached Athira’s house in Thrissur and reunited with their children after nearly two months apart. However, their problems had only just begun.
Around the same time, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, in his 5 pm press meet, announced that those who had traveled from red zones into Kerala had to mandatorily be put up in quarantine centres. A few hours later, the couple got calls from local health officers to shift them from their house.
“Some Health Department officials came to our house and asked us to move to a quarantine facility. We did not hesitate as they promised us good care and amenities,” Rajeesh said.
The duo were checked-in to a quarantine facility in Thrissur town at around 10:30 pm the same day.
However, at first glance, it was clear to them that none of the amenities that the officials had promised were offered at the centre. In fact, the ‘family room’ that the couple was allotted had barely even been cleaned, Rajeesh claims.
After much effort and convincing, the couple got the concerned officials to shift them to a ‘better’ facility within Thrissur. Following this, they were taken to a tourist home in Chalakudy at around 2 am— a move which they say has only left them worse off in terms of living conditions.
The second centre, identified as ‘Hillview Tourist Home’, is also unhygienic, with rat droppings lining the bathroom, Rajeesh insisted. Photographs shared by the couple show the bathroom floor filled with animal excreta. One corner of the room had junk, including empty plastic bottles layered with dust. The floor of the room was littered with animal droppings and food crumbs.
“We have not used the bathroom the whole day since waking up. It stinks so much that we cannot use it. I don’t get why people in quarantine are being treated like criminals with unhygienic and sub-par facilities being offered to us,” Rajeesh told TNM.
The couple claims that they were not given proper food. “We did not have our dinner on Wednesday night due to the sudden move. Both of us were very hungry due to the long trip. But all they had at the centre were bananas and loaves of dry bread,” Rajeesh added.
The couple have begged with several district authorities, including the collector and district medical officer, to shift them from the facility.
Speaking to TNM, the Tahsildar of Mukundapuram in Thrissur, who is in charge of facilitating arrangements said, "This resort is new and had just been set up before they arrived. So some shortcomings with regard to that would have cropped up. However, the issue has now been resolved. They are being shifted to an air conditioned tourist home in Irinjalakuda which has much better facilities. Although they have agreed to pay tariff and stay there, the municipality is discussing taking the tourist home up and turning it into a centre."