We are situated in a small village tucked in the mountains. Being a largely self-sufficient community, the odd 500 to 600 residents who lead a subsistence living unless it’s utmost necessity, don’t venture out of the village. So till date by the grace of God they have been protected from the life-threatening pangs of the coronavirus.
I was really surprised and equally angered when I heard of several instances where travelers from high load COVID-19 infected cities were found to be falsifying their negative RT-PCR report – some even with fake reports. This is definitely not done!
Because homestays like us are not equipped to verify whether a negative RT-PCR report is original or fake, we have to rely on the guest’s honesty. Since we stay in the house and the staff works there too in the same space, we too are at high risk if an infected guest comes to our house and doesn’t inform us. So please take the RT-PCR test seriously and with utmost honesty.
Plus, medical facilities in the mountains is a luxury which the locals can’t afford. We would not want a careless visitor to create havoc here. Plus, even for a guest who develops symptoms of COVID-19, it will be a harrowing ordeal to simple get to the nearest medical facility. So if you have even the slightest of symptom, please don’t travel to Katie’s Abode, Hartola or in that matter to any other place.
Traveling is important, but definitely not at the risk of your life or by putting others at risk.
Now back to why we are advice prospective guests to inoculate themselves before going on a vacation is because wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart from others help though reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, these measures are not enough. Vaccination will!
Taking the COVID-19 vaccine, be it Sputnik V, Covishield, or Covaxin, will work with your immune system. So it will be ready to fight the virus even if you are exposed during a trip where you are bound to meet a lot of people. Even if you are infected by the virus, the severity will be less and you don’t have to visit the ICU.
Moreover once you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing things you had paused for more than a year now. You can gather indoors without masks with other people who are fully vaccinated.
Having said that one should not consider oneself as fully vaccinated until two weeks after one’s second dose of the vaccine. So once you have taken your second jab and it’s been past two weeks, we will be more than happy to host you.
BTW we have taken our vaccines. Even our caretaker has been inoculated. So now it’s your turn to ensure that you take yours.
How long you want to remain cooped up inside your home and wear a face mask everywhere you go is up to you! How long the coronavirus pandemic lasts is also in your hands. So decide fast and get vaccinated.
Stay safe, stay protected.
