A doctor who tested positive for Covid-19 last week and decided to stay in home isolation because she had mild symptoms alleged that the local civic body and some residents of the area had been pressuring her to get admitted to hospital and some people had put up a barricade in front of her house.

The doctor attached to Peerless Hospital said her husband, who is also a doctor with another private hospital, has been facing problems from his doctor colleagues.

The woman, who stays in the Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality area, had tested positive for Covid-19 last Tuesday. “Since I had almost no symptoms, I decided to stay in home isolation. Being a doctor, I will be able to analyse my health conditions and I know the rules of isolation. Besides, a government health official is calling me up every day to monitor my condition,” she said on Sunday.

Some civic officials allegedly called her up on the first two days of isolation and insisted that she get get admitted to a hospital.

“One of them told me that since I was a doctor with Peerless Hospital, I could get admitted there,” the doctor said. She alleged that some neighbours had also called her up, asking her to get admitted to a hospital.

Ajoy Krishna Sarkar, physician and in-charge of Peerless Hospital’s intensive therapy unit, intervened and sought police help.

The doctor couple’s home was allegedly barricaded with bamboo poles on Saturday. “I called the police and the municipality and they were surprised. Neither had set up the barricade. Later, it was revealed that some residents had put it up. The poles were removed,” she said.

The ministry of health and family welfare had last month issued guidelines, stating that pre-symptomatic Covid-19 patients or those with very mild symptoms can stay in home isolation provided they follow norms such as wearing a triple-layer mask, stay in one room, away from other people at home, specially the elderly, and not share personal items with other people.

“My husband and son, who is 11, are staying in other rooms. My in-laws live in the same building but in a separate flat. I am not going out and the local councillor has arranged for all our daily supplies,” she said.

The doctor said one of her colleagues at Peerless had faced similar problems when she tested positive for the coronavirus. “I had thought people would slowly become more empathetic. But my personal experience is that there is lack of awareness,” she said.

Residents of the area where the doctor couple live have also submitted a petition to the local councillor, demanding that the road in front of their house be blocked.

“They have been calling me up every day and asking why the doctor was not sent to the hospital,” said Nitu Das, the Trinamul councillor of ward 31 of Rajpur-Sonarpur Municipality. “I have been visiting neighbourhoods, trying to prevent panic and rumours but it’s an impossible task.”

When a nurse of a private hospital tested positive in the area, residents had drawn up a list of five to six other nurses staying in the area, the councillor said. “They came to me with the list and wanted the nurses to leave. But I resisted the pressure.”

Sarkar, the doctor’s colleague who helped her, said such behaviour was unfortunate. “She never refused to treat patients after the outbreak of Covid-19, But if doctors like her become social outcast, then other doctors will be scared to treat patients,” Sarkar said.

A resident of the area said they were concerned about safety. “We have nothing against her, but there are vendors going to their house every day and the chance of Covid-19 spreading in our area becomes higher. So we are concerned and want the road to be blocked.”