Pandemic diaries: Surviving pandemic !

Pandemic diaries: Surviving pandemic !

Disclaimer: Incidents depicted in the post are purely my point of view and experience, it may vary in other person's view. The facts may not be perfect, as this is from my diary, and as I remembered. So kindly let go my faults in facts and figures . As it is directly from my diary (with editings on), it is summarized monthly..

So here it begins this way:

As year 2020 begins...

 January2020 : I was already doing senior residency (pathology) in a peripheral municipal hospital and as anyone's career begins, I also wanted to begin with an esteemed institution... but say it my hard luck or incapability, I couldn't... With the options in hand I chose another institute where, there was my subject of interest, but it required a lot, a lot of travelling and hours put in.

February 2020: 

Joined the said institute, but with the hurdle of travelling and nearing an important exams (late march), I thought of quitting the job with in 15 days of joining (my bad though). But had to serve the notice period for next 15 days. While working there, I read about the Wuhan news...corona virus epidemic news while surfing internet, though it should had been an interesting news for a doctor, it wasn't for me, as within my heart was the dictum : 'Me and My Country, are both safe.' 

I think most of the common people think the same way as I did and got engrossed in my work and studies.

 March 2020:

By 6th March, I bid goodbye to the institute. Next day onwards started preparing for exams without wasting  any more time.

By then Corona virus infection started spreading across the globe.

There were postponement of exams in few foreign centres.

Day by day the number of cases across the countries rose up, though in India there were cases only in unit digits. I was immersed in my final preparations.

By mid-March a circular passed about deferring  the exams all over world in view of pandemic.

Well here in India, we weren’t affected much,then.

Now I was in position where I had no exams and no job. And trust me, this feeling is really disturbing and yes, I had sleepless night!.

Next morning I updated my resume and uploaded in various sites. Went to different nearby hospital exploring chances. But midway the academic year, nothing was really vacant.

Then I tried same old hospital where I was in starting of year, and Yes! I was recruited.

Well, things were smooth in the first week, although we had some cases in India too.

Then a Sunday 23^rd march was announced as Janta-curfew by our PM. All followed the orders.

I remember we had positive cases (11 Italians tourists in them) in north , followed by Kerala and then my own Maharashtra.

Curfew was announced in following week.

And then suddenly, a shock our lifeline in Mumbai, ‘No local trains’; to contain the pandemic…., Oh life seemed to standstill in that moment to me. Since I left high school, I don’t remember travelling by any other means which saves time and money both wisely. And I think that was only the reason despite learning to drive, I choose never to drive after my driving exams.

Then travelling to hospital for work, became a nightmare. Because of huge investment of time and energy… B.E.S.T bus travelling: tiring ones… the routine of travelling became:scold,,wait,,,travel,,scold ,,wait ,,,travel…. Nor was there any direct bus, neither was there good frequency of buses. And of course this accompanied a lot of walking for me.

April,2020

To continue in few days…