'Social stigma against migrants home returnees adds to ongoing covid 19 pandemic'
Source: IT News

Imphal, July 01 2020: Manipur Students' Association Delhi (MSAD) General Secretary Th Singhajit in a press release stated that the problem faced by Corona virus patients, both recovered and unrecovered, and those migrants coming back home from different areas outside the colony (Manipur) has been increasing to a large extent.

They including those tested negative are labelled, stereotyped, discriminated against, treated separately and experience loss of status due to which their caregivers, family, friends and communities are also negatively affected.

More unfortunately, those recovered, tested negative and home quarantining and their families are facing serious discrimination from their own localities which is due to, as MSAD finds, a huge knowledge gap amongst the people.

MSAD further state that those who have been tested corona virus positive and then recovered and again tested negative are supposed to be safer than the rest of people who have never been tested.

For the rest of people who have never been tested, they are more risky than those who have been at least tested negative i.e.the former have more chances of carrying the virus at any time than the later.

As they have survived the intimation period, they are totally clean.

We, people should be aware of this.

Without focusing on the authenticity of the test result, we should not be blindly targeting on the number of days quarantined.

It is clearly seen that there is a social stigma against the migrant Covid-19 survivors who are coming back home and staying quarantined.

However, it should be known that they are safer than those who have been staying home without being tested.

Moreover, it is desirable that the returnees are facilitated to be tested before coming back.

Second, they are to be tested as soon as they have landed.

If a Corona virus positive patient who is still not known for the reason that she/he has not yet been tested stays longer without being tested, there is greater chance of spreading the virus during the period of their stay.

But, if she/he is tested as soon as arrived, he/she could have been isolated and thus, prevent from spreading the virus.

In the meantime MSAD pay sincere condolences for Naoroibam Sarju, who took her own life on Sunday 28 June the last day of her home quarantine as advised after being discharged on June 14 from the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) as she had been found to be Corona virus positive and was lodged in the isolation ward of the hospital.

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