"Coronavirus Shouldn't Lock Down Humanity'': Odisha On Nurses' Eviction

Two nurses working in a private hospital were evicted from their rented houses in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, after which the Odisha government urged landlords not to "lock down humanity" during the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of novel coronavirus.

State government spokesperson on COVID-19, Subroto Bagchi said that two nurses providing home-based critical care or post-hospitalisation care to a patient were evicted from their rented houses by their landlord with support of their neighbours, fearing that the women might be carriers of novel coronavirus.

"Please do not lock down humanity even as human beings are locked down due to COVID-19 outbreak," Mr Bagchi said, while expressing concern over the behaviour of house owners in Bhubaneswar, which has emerged as the coronavirus hotspot in Odisha after 34 cases were reported in the state capital.

Mr Bagchi, also the chairperson of the Odisha Skill Development Authority, said the two young nurses were providing post-hospitalisation service to an elderly person.

The nurses vacated their rented house and shifted to another place, he said.

"People might suspect infection but this fear should not lock down humanity and lead to eviction of persons providing yeoman service like nursing," Mr Bagchi said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had on April 3 appealed to the landlords to be compassionate to poor tenants and waive off or at least defer their house rent for three months.

Through this gesture, it can be demonstrated that the people of Odisha care for each other at a time when the entire country is under lockdown, he had said.