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Thursday, 14 May 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Medha de Alwis
When told they had to travel to a faraway centre in Jaffna for a compulsory COVID-19 quarantine, there was a sense of sadness and anxiety for six-year-old Fathima Arshad and 12-year-old Safaa Mujeeba from the south. Whilst the 14-day ordeal was a certain concern, the other was that the duration clashed with their birthdays.
However little did they know that the meticulous and caring staff of the Sri Lanka Army which ran the Aiyakachchi quarantine centre had other plans - pleasant ones, certainly!
Come the days - 4 May and 6 May respectively - 12-year-old Safaa Mujeeba from Keselwatta, a grade 8 student at Queen’s Way International Dematagoda, and Fathima Arshad, who is in the first grade of Ilma International School, Nugegoda, were in for something special. The duo were treated for a pleasant surprise – birthday cakes for fitting celebrations, an act which moved the hearts of all in the quarantine centre.
The Daily FT obtained access to speak to the two lucky birthday girls, who said they were elated by the birthday surprise, despite being in COVID-19 quarantine.
“When I came to the quarantine centre, I was sad as I thought that my birthday will be plain,” said Safaa Mujeeba. “I always like to celebrate my birthday, and being in quarantine, I knew there was no way. So when Army uncles gave me a birthday surprise with a nice cake I was so happy. Everybody here joined in the celebration. This is one of the best birthdays I have ever had,” said the ecstatic girl with a bubbly tone.
6-year-old Fathima Arshad couldn’t hide her happiness too with the special treat. “I was so happy,” said the little girl, who had lost her mother at the tender age of two, and was now living with her extended family in Bandaranayakapura, Colombo 12.
When asked how the birthday of the girls were celebrated, Shakira Abdul Nasar, the aunt of Fathima Arshad, expressed her thanks to the Sri Lanka Army for such a lovely surprise. “When they came that day, we thought they will give only a cake for little Fathima. But it was much more with decorations and of course kindness too. The Army did all the decoration by themselves,” said 23-year-old Nasar, a former library assistant at the Fathima Muslim Ladies College.
She added that they have been treated with extreme care and kindness by the Sri Lanka Army ever since they came to the Aiyakachchi quarantine centre from Bandaranayakapura.
The birthdays incidentally fell a few days before the completion of the 14-day quarantine. “We are so thankful for all the positive treatment by the Sri Lanka Army,” said Fareeda Rizwan, the grandmother of little Fathima Arshad.
There are two quarantine camps in Aiyakachchi. Safaa is from the second camp, and her mother Fathima Majeeba, who is a mother of three daughters and the wife of a three wheeler driver (Safaa being her eldest) said that “…the Army treated us as if they are our brothers. They call us ‘akka’ (elder sister), and attend to every possible request to make our stay here comfortable.”
The two centres in Aiyakachchi are female centres for women and young children below the age of 12. The men of the same families were housed in the quarantine centres in Vidaththapilai in Jaffna and Palali, which are manned by the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Air Force respectively.
When asked about safety concerns being an all-female quarantine centre, all the ladies said that they had absolutely no issue of safety and security. Before coming to the quarantine centre in Jaffna, most had concerns, this being the first time in Jaffna for some of them. “At first I felt very scared when we were separated from the male members of our family. But from the first day onwards, we felt so much at home, and well cared for by our Army. We are extremely thankful to them for this kindness and hard work,” said the ladies.
Around 240 women in these two centres along with nearly 80 children, left Jaffna last week after completing two weeks at quarantine, with their PCR test being negative.
