A Quarantined Soul

It’s my 84th hour of room quarantine and I can feel the walls shrink, my world shrivel and literally feel 

every second in a day passing by. And yes, 84 hours of room quarantine also means that I have hardly 

had a proper conversation with anyone in 3 days. Wow!! Never did I know that quarantine days will 

confiscate my love towards spending ‘my time’.

When Covid-19 was in the third stage of reaping lives, I decided to fly down to my hometown as my 

hostels were at the verge of shutting down due to the pandemic. I don’t know if it was an impulse or 

logic that made me talk to my manager and when he agreed, I took the next flight to Kannur.

I would say I am senseless at times because amidst this havoc, I was planning to give a surprise visit. 

Thankfully I had called my cousin to pick me up from the airport and being a doctor, he told me that it 

was a bad idea to surprise as the situation is not as silly as what I think. His long message of all the 

procedures to be done and taken care of, scared the shit out of me…like I had never taken it this serious!

 To be true, I was least bothered about the fact that I might get infected but when he told me that the 

mortality rates are high when it comes to old aged people, hit me hard. Before I started, I sanitized my 

hands and wore the mask and gloves. The whole idea of taking a private cab did build panic in me but I 

didn’t have a choice. Every time, when I go home, I used to have butterflies in my stomach- the anxiety 

to meet everyone, the VIP treatment you get since you visit home only twice in a year, and also the fear 

of the usual marriage drama that happens in every house. But this time, it was different.

I don’t know if I scared the cab driver with my mask and gloves; as soon as I got out, I saw him use 

sanitizer and wipe the seats and the door of the cab. I was indeed feeling happy for his sense of 

responsibility and I had a sigh of relief knowing he keeps his cab clean. The airport seemed to be almost 

empty. Flight was even scarier as I didn’t know who might sit next to me. All those announcements of 

“xxx flight travelers should immediately report to the nearest hospital as a traveler is found positive” 

were the only thing that kept humming in my head. I denied having water or even use the loo as I didn’t 

want to take any chances.

The checking process after landing didn’t take long as my temperature was fine and my cousin was there 

waiting for me. The car door was already opened for me. He asked me to remove the mask by touching 

only the strings and also the gloves by not touching the infected part. He had covered the car with a 

sheet so that I can sit on it. Though I was asymptomatic, I can still be a carrier! So, we were all prepared. 

After disposing the mask and gloves into the dustbin, I sanitized my hands till the elbow and sat in the 

back seat of the car. On the way, I could see a lot of people walking and roaming on the roads. Maybe 

they consider themselves immune to this but what about others whom they might spread it to? 

As we parked the car in the porch, all my aunts, cousins and my mom who rushed to see me were 

shooed away. When I stepped out of the car, a bucket full of detol water was kept ready to welcome 

me. Sayooj asked me to wipe my luggage and slippers with that water before taking it inside the house. 

“I don’t feel that good to make you do this alone but we don’t have an option,” he said. I smiled and 

nodded because I was actually tired. As I got into the house, my parents went into the kitchen and I went straight into my room. All the doors were open for me and my washroom had all that I needed. I 

was asked to take bath in detol water, soak my clothes in detol water and wash them and only then sit 

on the bed. 

So the whole plan was to make sure that I don’t touch anything that my parents would touch and to 

ensure that by staying in the same house wasn’t that easy. The only time I see my mom is when she 

come to give food. Oh wait! Forgot the stool story. So a stool was kept at the door of my room where 

this food supply happens. When it is time for food, she would scream from other side of the house to 

keep the plates on the stool. Once done, I will move away and she will bring the food in another vessel 

and serve it and go. Literally not touching my plate. It’s the same when it comes to tea, water and 

everything. The room door is never locked for god’s sake. This is the first time that I am happy that my 

parents doesn’t allow me to lock my room door. Don’t know what is running in their heads but you 

know sometimes the need of a 24 year old girl. Necessity guys!

Once I am done eating, I wash my plates in the attached washroom and keep it on the table and same 

with my clothes when I take bath. This might sound a little crack-head but trust me, this isn’t silly. I was 

not asked to do this quarantine but I chose to because I didn’t want to take any chances. If we all took it 

a little seriously, we wouldn’t have lost our loved ones. Mine is an ‘if by any chance’ case but imagine, 

people who are actually asked to do home quarantine, roam around and attend all those invited and 

uninvited functions in the district and spread it more and kill more people. Ridiculous!