'Be brave, call if you need anything': Customers tell delivery boy who tested positive for coronavirus

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A pizza delivery rider who had delivered food to over 72 families in South Delhi and had tested positive for coronavirus said on April 22 that he has received calls from at least 15 of his customers in the past eight days that he has spent in quarantine.

"Almost every one of them spoke with warmth— some told me to be brave, others told me not to hesitate to call them if needed," he told the Hindustan Times, adding that the customers had got his number from their bills.

He said that initially he was feeling guilty that he might have infected others. However, when he saw the news on his phone that all the high-risk contacts' tests have come out negative, he was relieved.

When he was informed that his own coronavirus test result had come out positive, the food delivery boy said that the ground beneath his feet sank.

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"I hadn’t expected it. I thought I would die. I am the youngest of three siblings, and I hadn’t even seen the world yet," said the 19-year-old. He then called his manager, and then his elder brother in Uttar Pradesh.

"I had moved to Delhi for some work this year. A cousin helped me get this job, and my employer provided me with a room in Savitri Nagar," the man said.

He said that between March 20 and 25, he had got drenched in rain while delivering food. Subsequently, he caught a cold and visited a hospital for a check-up and was given some pills.

Also Read: How tribal quarantine rituals helped Arunachal Pradesh become ‘COVID-19 free’

By the end of that month, he had developed a high fever, and went to Safdarjung Hospital on April 2. However, it was only during another visit on April 10 to the hospital that he was told to go to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for a COVID-19 test after he complained of coughing.

According to the newspaper, he was first admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital and was recently shifted to a police colony in Delhi's Mandawali, where three patients are allotted one room.

Although he coughs occasionally, he said that he is fine and would try to get back to his village once he is discharged.

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