Three Women From Andhra Pradesh Who Self-Isolated For 15 Months Fearing The Coronavirus Are Malnourished And Depressed

Three Women From Andhra Pradesh Who Self-Isolated For 15 Months Fearing The Coronavirus Are Malnourished And Depressed

During this pandemic, I realised just how recklessly we used to live before. There are certain things we did before so nonchalantly that I can’t even think about now. Concerts, for instance. All I think about now is how they would make an ideal breeding ground for the virus. There is no denying that this pandemic has made us overly cautious. Quarantine and lockdown have had a definite effect on our mental health and given us all borderline OCD. Here’s the thing though, while that is the need of the hour, nothing in excess is ever beneficial. Case in point, fearing the Coronavirus, three women from a family in Andhra Pradesh completely isolated themselves for 15 months. They are now malnourished and depressed.

This shocking incident happened in a village in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district. Three women from the same family went into quarantine 15 months ago and haven’t stepped out since then. The men in their family would leave the house sometimes for work but the three women have finally stepped out now. As a result of this prolonged isolation, the women are now malnourished and depressed.

This family has two men, John Benny and his 29-year-old son Chinababu. They run a cycle shop in the village. The three women of the house, Benny’s wife Ruthamma and their two daughters, Kanthamani and Rani were quarantined for 15 months. They’ve been admitted to Razole Government Hospital. Doctors have said that the three women have severe vitamin deficiency due to lack of exposure to sunlight. Their haemoglobin levels are extremely low and they’ve all been diagnosed with psychological depression.

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Village sarpanch Choppala Gunanadh told The Print that the family got scared after a woman in their neighbourhood succumbed to Coronavirus in March 2020. Since then, they have refused to leave their home. They feared that if they did, they would suffer the same fate. Hence, the family usually survived on whatever little food the men got when they stepped out for work. Gunanadh said, “When it rained, they covered their hut with a tarpaulin sheet and they stayed inside despite the hut leaking. They even defecated inside their huts.”

Being cautious is the need of the hour. But being overly cautious, like these women are, would also lead to serious consequences. We have to find a balance and not let this pandemic completely halt our lives.

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Mitali Shah

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