KOCHI: French national Desmazure Fleurine and her 3-year old son Tao reached India in October and were having a pleasant time here until they reached Kochi on Sunday to see off the 28-year-old woman's mother at Cochin International Airport.
Things turned upside down for the French citizens when local health department officials found that the foreigners were at Varkala for the past two weeks. The next 12 hours turned out to be the most harrowing experience of her life and her son.
Desmazure and son landed in New Delhi in October and went to Sri Lanka in January. Then she came to Madurai and spent the last two weeks in Varkala. The health department took her to Aluva Taluk Hospital and then to Ernakulam Medical College on Sunday for the COVID-19 tests. Luckily, the tests turned out negative. But, in the chaos that followed at the airport, she lost her wallet.
“It was a horrific experience. I was stuck in the hospital as I lost my wallet. They made me and my son sit on chairs at the hospital corridor for the entire night. Later, they provided a room that had a small bed. There were spider webs all around and the room was untidy. They didn’t consider that I was with a child,” Desmazure told The New Indian Express. On Monday morning, someone informed the Kalamassery police station that a foreigner was sitting outside the hospital building and created a scare that she is trying to escape from the isolation ward.
“She looked pale when we reached. She didn’t have a proper sleep due to mosquito bites,” said P S Reghu, CPO, Kalamassery police station. The cops bought her food and water after coming to know about her situation. The officials then contacted the Foreigner Regional Registration Offices (FRRO) office in Cochin International Airport and the French consulate in Puducherry. The embassy officials arranged to send Rs 7,500 to her via Western Union money transfer service.
“The money was then collected and we took her to Ernakulam South Railway station,” added Reghu. The passengers waiting at the station were amused to see Desmazure and one of the police officials carrying Tao on his shoulders. She had a relived look as she reached the platform to board her train to New Delhi. “The police team was fantastic. They treated me so well that I could reach the station comfortably,” said Desmazure.
The officials said that the hospital authorities should have treated her better. “Amid the ongoing situation, we should treat foreigners with respect. ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ is what we follow. The hospital hasn’t issued her a certificate that she is not infected. The certificate is needed else she will have to face issues at other places too. We are happy that we did our duty,” said Reghu.
However, the harrowing experience won’t deter Desmazure from returning back to Kerala again. “I’m leaving as the climate is unbearable. I met so many good people here, so I’ll be back here,” a smile of relief bloomed in Desmazure as her train arrived at the station by 1 pm.