Dorms at the camp
After spending a wintry fortnight in the UK, we landed in Sri Lanka on the evening of March 16. I was on my way to Heathrow Airport when the news reached me that travellers from the UK would be sent to quarantine centres. This was confirmed to me by the airline staff at the airport. After an almost 12-hour flight, and three-hour transit, we were instructed to remain in the plane while the others disembarked. There were nine passengers from the UK. After a few minutes, we were allowed to disembark and were greeted by officials in masks and hazmat suits. Gone was the traditional Sri Lankan greeting of “Ayubowan”. The first words we heard were, “You have two choices. You can either go back to the country you came from, or undergo quarantine in the quarantine centres.”
All the passengers around me were Sri Lankans. There was some murmuring as some were offended they had a choice to return to the country they came from. “We are Sri Lankans. We were born here, and live here. What do you mean by go back to where we came from?” a middle-aged man asked. The officials seemed a little impatient as our group of nine tried to reach a decision. After a few minutes, we all opted for quarantine. I looked around me. Everyone looked as anxious as I felt. I recalled a family friend messaging me while I was in the Heathrow Airport. She had painted a grim picture of the quarantine centres. Most of us had no clue what to expect. Sahani Weerasinghe, who was on a UK work trip, imagined a hall with no beds where everyone would have to sleep on the floor. She feared being infected from cross infections.
After undergoing decontamination, and filling the health-declaration form, we were loaded into a bus around 9pm. We had no clue about our destination. The bus finally left the Bandaranaike International Airport around 2.30am.
At around 7.30am we reached the Vanni Air Force Quarantine Centre. For most of us, this was the northern-most point we had been to in Sri Lanka. All of us were sent to dorms, separated by gender. My first thought was, this wasn’t as bad as I had expected. We were given separate towels, plates and cups. Since most of us weren’t prepared to be quarantined, we were missing essentials like toiletries. To our relief, we were informed the Air Force welfare shop had these items, and we could purchase them. Facilities like washing machines, wifi, satellite TV and a hot-water kettle were provided.
We were the first batch to enter the Vanni Quarantine Centre. But at around 3pm on March 17, five more buses arrived, bringing returnees from the UAE, France, Qatar and Bahrain. The ladies were sent to my block. Gradually, we made friends, and we would sit outside and talk. There were many trees, and seeing giant squirrels and monkeys became a daily occurrence.
We were the first batch to enter the Vanni Quarantine Centre. But at around 3pm on March 17, five more buses arrived, bringing returnees from the UAE, France, Qatar and Bahrain
Temperature checks
Our days began at 6.30am when everyone would wake up for temperature checks at 7am. Breakfast came right after, with lunch at noon. Evening temperature checks were at 5pm, and dinner was at 8pm along with a koththamalli drink. On most days, we got biscuits or cake at tea time. The menu was a mix of Western and Sri Lankan cuisine. During temperature checks, the medical team would remind us to regularly wash our hands, keep a metre distance from each other and to inform them if we felt any discomfort. We were also advised to regularly breathe deeply, to check if our lungs were healthy.
With none of the 206 returnees showing COVID-19 symptoms, we were released on March 31. “Our objective was to ensure that if one wasn’t infected when coming into the centre, we had to send them back uninfected. Likewise, if someone was infected, it was our duty to isolate the individual immediately and offer treatment,” a medical professional at the centre said.
Leaving the centre was a bittersweet moment. While we were eager to see our loved ones, it was sad to leave our new friends. Here’s what some of them had to say about their experience:
“The centre was beautifully run and brilliantly executed by the Air Force. I expected it to be an awful experience, but it was almost like a holiday at government expense,” Sam Mutthumani, a Colombo resident said. Thush Ramathas, a Vavuniya resident said the experience could have been better if the dorms were air-conditioned due to the extreme heat. “Instead of communal showers, authorities could look into providing private shower stalls. Despite all this, quarantine isn’t a bad experience, as people outside portray it to be,” she said.
A flight attendant said she returned to Sri Lanka as she felt it was safer here during the COVID-19 outbreak. “The country I was based in isn’t doing much. But here the authorities along with the forces are doing whatever they can to contain the pandemic. I can see the dedication of the forces by how they run the centre and treat the people,” she said. Her colleague, who was also quarantined, expressed her gratitude to the officers. “They attended to our every need and request, which is very commendable.” Each block in the centre had a WhatsApp group through which people could air their complaints and requests, and the officers promptly attended to them.
An ideal quarantine requires each individual to be isolated from others. But as medical professionals informed us, this wasn’t possible due to limited resources
Jai Mutthumani (20) described the experience as “life changing”, and said he had learnt to ration essentials. “Things like soap and shampoo don’t last long, so I had to use them sparingly.” Hafeez Razzak (20) found it an amasing experience, and enjoyed the time spent with new-found friends. “Even though this wasn’t perfect, the Air Force worked to the best of their ability, with limited resources,” Rashaadh Riaz (18) said.
Another returnee, who was pregnant, remarked that while the Air Force was excellent, she was disappointed that she hadn’t been provided with special facilities as promised by airport officials. “They told me I would be isolated from the rest as I was pregnant. It’s good that no one was found to be infected. I wouldn’t want to have myself exposed,” she said, adding that authorities should provide special quarantine facilities for vulnerable groups like pregnant mothers and immunity-compromised persons.
An ideal quarantine requires each individual to be isolated from others. But as medical professionals informed us, this wasn’t possible due to limited resources. However, the armed forces are doing their best to ensure the health and well-being of people in quarantine centres.
Being in their hazmat suits all day in the 40-degree heat, risking exposure to the coronavirus, and staying away from their loved ones, the Vanni Air Force personnel, truly deserve our appreciation. As for us, we have a certificate to say we underwent the quarantine process. This may be the only time in our lives we get a certificate for doing nothing except eating three meals a day, sleeping, and getting our temperatures checked twice a day.
