A 37-year-old man from Tripura, who traveled more than 900 km and spent Rs 30,000 to reach home from Assam to Agartala, was denied entry into his house although he was tested negative for the pandemic coronavirus.
As per sources, Gobinda Debnath to visit his brother in Assam before the COVID-19-induced lockdown was imposed. However, after being frustrated with repeated extensions of lockdown, he decided to spend Rs 30,000 out of his pocket to hire a car and two days on the road to reach his residence in Tripura’s Agartala.
On Sunday, he was screened by health officials when he arrived on the Assam-Tripura inter-state border and since he showed no symptoms for the disease, he was allowed to travel into the state and was asked to go into quarantine at a center in Churaibari on the Tripura-Assam inter-state boundary. Later, he was tested negative for COVID-19.
Nonetheless, when he reached his home, the people in his neighborhood denied him entry into his home on suspicion that he was a patient of COVID-19. As per sources, his wife too was opposed to his entering the house, as she was allegedly pressurized by the neighbors.
“Our neighbors might have disturbed my wife in some way. Obviously, she wouldn’t want me to go away. I feel my wife was just afraid, our child was crying. I don’t know what to say,” he stated to the sources.
Meanwhile, his wife said that she had asked Debnath to stay in Assam and that he should be taken to a quarantine center and get whatever treatment required, as they have a young daughter and her ailing mother at home.
“I was not pressurized by anyone. I want him to return home after 14 days of quarantine. My mother is sick and I have a kid. I cannot give shelter to him now,” she said. “I am not interested in inviting trouble,” she added.
On the other hand, people in their neighborhood asserted that he may have tested negative now, what would happen if he starts showing symptoms after a few days.
Subsequently, District Health Officer Dr. Sangeeta Chakraborty said “We sent him to a quarantine facility but that is not an ideal place for him. He should be in-home quarantine.”
