On 20 March evening, a couple from this village was rushed to the nearest health facility. They were among eleven others having had travel history with a Srinagar woman who had tested positive for coronavirus.
All were put in the quarantine facility in the nearbyvillage where they showed no symptoms of infection, and were sent back to theirhomes after fourteen days.
However, a co-passenger, an octogenarian from nearbySindoo-Shermal village, complained of abdominal pain. He, according to doctorshad a urine infection and was shifted to district hospital Pulwama from PHCTukroo.
The elderly man remained admitted there for three days, butshowed no visible symptoms of infection. His samples were taken for testing asa precaution.
To the utter surprise of doctors he tested positive sendingthe administration and health authorities into a tizzy. Ambulances were rushedto the houses of all those who had returned from Saudi Arabia on March, 16 onthe same flight.
They were again put to quarantine and their samples weretaken for testing. The couple this time tested positive leaving doctorsbaffled, though other co-travelers tested negative.
The following day, this small village would be among thefirst in JK to be declared as the red zone.
It has been nearly two weeks now, however, there is littlemovement visible in the hamlet with a population of nearly 1500 souls.
The area remains shut with people confined to their homes.”We all are living in distress,” said one of the villagers who is himselfquarantined at his home
He said no one is stepping out of their houses for theirorchards. “This is the time when we used to work hard in our orchards. But nowwe are left with no choice but to abandon our only source of livelihood,” ruedMushtaq Ahmad.
Forty kilometers away, the couple is now undergoingtreatment at an isolation facility at Pulwama. “So far they are responding tothe treatment and hopefully, they will recover soon,” a medic said.
The health officials said the samples collected from theother family members of the couple are negative for coronavirus.
“All of them are under observation of doctors in thequarantine centers,” he said.
The health officials said tracing the contacts of the couplewas a challenge; however, they have managed to get them to quarantine centers.”Only a nephew of an elderly man has so far tested positive.”
Shopian has already been declared as COVID-19 hotspot with22 positive cases reported so far.