Om Kumari Tiwari (pictured above), 87, has been living at the shelter for 17 years, and does not understand the new restrictions: “We have not been allowed to go to the temples too and we haven’t seen visitors too, but why?”
She also does not understand why she has to wear a mask. Kandel explains that many of the elderly have dementia or Alzheimer’s which makes it hard for them to understand and remember the precautions. Many of them also complain about shortness of breath while using the mask, and about not being allowed to meet relatives.
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“It’s only natural for them to feel this way as they don’t understand what is happening,” explains Kandel.
Similarly, Bhandari too mentioned that children under self-quarantine make requests to play outside and mingle with their friends. But unlike the senior citizens, they comply with restrictions.
“We are not experts in this field, but we will make our best efforts to fight the virus,” Bhandari says. “After having survived the earthquake we now have to deal with an even bigger upheaval.”