People in quarantine centre demand 'taste of outside'

Locked inside one of the six quarantine centres in Pakistan due to the coronavirus pandemic, some 200 people have been left hankering for a taste of the world outside, a media report said on Monday.

Having nothing to kill their boredom, these people have started demanding that the authorities managing the centres provide them with access to the Internet and spicy and well-seasoned meals, said The Express Tribune report.

An official working at one isolation facility told The Express Tribune that over 200 isolated people, who have arrived from abroad, have started demanding piquant meals instead of the comparatively bland, non-spicy but hygienically prepared food

"They refuse to eat the healthy and balanced meals being provided to them," he said.

Many inmates contended that they are tired of eating the same food every day, and argued that their demand was legitimate.

They also asked the government to install Wi-Fi devices in the isolation centres so that they can at least connect with their families.

"Most of us were shifted here (to the quarantine facility) right from the airport. We did not have the time to buy a local SIM card to use the Internet," The Express Tribune quoted a quarantined person as saying.

He complained that in the absence of the Internet facility, they are unable to connect with their families and friends or learn what is going on in the world.

The administration has started mulling on providing Wi-Fi facilities or arrange to engage inmates in other healthy activities which can help beat boredom.

To cope with this situation, the official said that the government considering hiring psychologists to maintain peace and order in the quarantine centres.

The number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan increased to 8,425 on Monday with 176 deaths.

Indo-Asian News Service