The first time I heard about corona virus was in the “HIV IBT” training which was conducted by Sajan just before the lock-down. In the training Sajan explained to us what HIV and AIDS is, how it can be transmitted from one person to another, its major and minor symptoms, the differences between HIV and AIDS, and it’s preventive measures. The training was very helpful.
Finally, Sajan also informed us about the emerging virus that had been slowly spreading in the world. The name of the virus was “corona virus” and he told us that this virus was first seen in China. The virus had been transmitted from birds and animals to humans and is a highly communicable disease. It can be transmitted via different medium; through air, water, handshakes and hugs with an infected person etc. Then he also explained about the different symptoms of corona virus such as a dry cough, common cold, tiredness, fever, difficulty breathing etc. At the end of the training, he explained to us the different preventive measures to avoid corona virus, such as maintaining a social distance of at least 1 meter or 3 feet, washing our hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, covering our nose and mouth with a disposable tissue or flexed elbow when we cough or sneeze and not touching our eyes, nose, or mouth if our hands are not clean. He also informed us that there has been no vaccine developed so far. Therefore he suggested we take care of ourselves and stay safe.
Hearing about this dangerous virus, at first I was really frightened and scared. Slowly, after getting all the information on this virus and its preventive measures, I felt less scared. After a few days, the government announced a lockdown to control and prevent the spreading of the corona virus in the country. My son who was in Kathmandu returned just before the lockdown. The lockdown has lasted for almost 1 month now and we still don’t know how long it will continue. During the first stage of lockdown all of my family members including me stayed inside our home for a few days. I shared the information about corona virus which I had learned in the IBT Training with all of my family members and asked them to practice the preventive measures in their daily lives. Then I also stored some necessary food items such as rice, lentils, oil, salt, sugar etc. and cut a large amount of grass for my goats. Slowly the days have been passing and somehow life is moving forward in this hard time. After staying inside our home for a few weeks, we gradually emerged to plant some corn and vegetables. The biggest challenge that I have faced during this lockdown is the prices of food which has increased and it is difficult to get vitamins and food for my goats besides grass. With the current situation, I am not frightened and scared like before. My family and I are mostly busy on our small plot of land planting corn and vegetables. For my friends and relatives, with the current situation some are still scared of the corona virus, as the number of infected people is increasing day by day in our country and all over the world. Therefore most of them have engaged in self-quarantine in their own homes. They have also stored some basic necessary food ingredients such as rice, lentils, oil, salt, sugar etc. as we do not know how long the lockdown will continue. Many of my relatives and our group members have started planting crops and vegetables on their land and whenever we meet in the village, we often talk about preventive measures which we learned in the IBT training.
I would like to thank Sajan for contacting me every week I feel so good after talking with him.