After neighbours and Resident Welfare Association (RWA) members, now relatives and parents of the Coronavirus warriors have started ostracising them.
A 27-year-old female paramedic staff, working in a private lab in Delhi, has been asked to choose between job and family.
“My mother-in-law has asked me to leave the job immediately. I have small kids at home. She feels the family might get infected,” the woman told Outlook.
She earns Rs 22,000 every month. "My mother-in-law asked me to take a break for a few months -- till the situation is back to normal,” she said.
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“Meri saas ne kaha ki Jaan rahegi to bahut nukariyan hain. Jaan jokhim main dalne ki zarurat nahi hai. Jinda rahenge tabhi to jiyenge, (My mother-in-law said you will find many a job if you stay alive. There is no need to risk family and life. If we survive, only then do we live further),” She said.
The lab, where the woman works, got permission a few days ago to conduct tests on people suspected to have contracted Coronavirus. It hasn’t got any testing kit yet.
“We will start testing very soon. However, my other staff members, too, complain that there is pressure from their family members to leave the job,” said the owner of the lab requesting anonymity.
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He says the government has offered insurance package for health workers but that’s not enough.
“I can offer them a bit more money than what they are getting but beyond that, I, too, have my constraints. The government should offer some direct benefit to these health workers else private sector will suffer badly,” He said.
He added, “Government workers might think twice before leaving the job because of a lot of other securities. However, the private sector is not that lucrative. They can easily think of taking a break for a few months.”
