After Months of Alienation, Manali Finally Gets Its First Coronavirus Case

So today, when the sky was the usual blue and the birds were singing and monkeys were out and about the mundane monkey business, the phone rang at 11 in the morning.

It was a friend calling from a neighbouring village called Shuru, just 6 km away from Old Manali with a news that would announce trouble in paradise — first COVID-19 positive case confirmed in Shuru. A 22-year-old woman travelled from Delhi to Manali via taxi on July 11. She was advised to be home quarantined. Seven days later, symptoms started showing up and she diligently consulted a doctor. Her sample testing was conducted at Mandi Medical College, which on Tuesday evening was reported as positive.She is now in Kullu Hospital for a 14-day quarantine. The village, Shuru has been declared as a containment zone under article 144. However, the question arises, what about her family? Has the virus left a lethal trail behind? Only testing and time will unravel the result of these testing times.

In the past couple of months, when the world has been breathing in isolation and fighting the coronavirus, life in Manali has been normal. During the lockdown phase, the bridge was guarded by the local panchayat and police. The entire village was sealed and life within the village continued as usual. Like an extended off season, shops and cafes were closed. But kids played, men with Himachali caps and women in pattus worked in the farms. Every time someone asked me about Manali in the times of the coronavirus, I'd always say that Manali has only heard about the virus, fortunately Manali hasn't met it yet. Until now. However, the phone call today has caused an irrevocable silence. Now everyone has to address the elephant in the room— what now?