Kangra families returning to their villages face stigma

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, May 22

People returning to their villages from outside the state are facing boycott. The corona stigma is posing a serious challenge to the Kangra administration. Villagers are shunning the returnees, doctors and health staff included.

Infection scare

Infection scare could create social tension. About 2 lakh jobless are expected to return to Himachal by month-end.

In Bir, residents have refused to allow health staff working at the Baijnath Corona Containment Centre. In Dharamsala, locals are protesting the conversion of Zonal Hospital into a containment centre. Due to the stigma, the administration is finding it hard to create new institutional quarantine facilities.

The Radha Soami dera in Paror has housed over 400 returnees, but with the numbers swelling, the administration will have to set up more facilities. Rakesh Prajapati, DC, and Vimukt Ranjan, SP, recently took to the social media to address residents’ fears. They even visited the house of a patient who had recovered. Officials say the infection scare could create social tension across the state. They say about 2 lakh persons, who have lost their jobs, are expected to return to the state by month-end. In Kangra district, about 80,000 persons have returned so far —14,000 due to job loss.